Mericcup One ShotsShortsAUs
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: A collection of short Mericcup stories, so to speak, one-shots, and AUs. Enjoy!
1. A Scottish Princess Fair (Walter Scott)

It was a Scottish princess fair

In the sun shining on DunBroch wall

And she would marry a Viking heir

For they made Love lord of all.

Blithely they talked of future days

As the sun shone on Dunbroch wall

To help them through the waiting phase

For Love was still lord of all.

Her sire gave gowns and jewelry fine

Of the sun shining on Dunbroch hall

His false brother gave a flask of wine

To stand against Love being lord of all.

For they would bring peace between the lands

Like the sun shining on DunBroch wall

And the heir refused his brother's demands

To let him become the lord of all

It was not long before they did see

As the sun set on Dunbroch hall

The false brother's evil and treachery

In his attempt to become lord of all.

She is still, the Scottish princess fair

As the sun set on Dunbrach hall

Still in the arms of the Viking heir

For they had made Love lord of all.

Justice came swift for the false brother

While the sun set on Dunbroch hall

And leaving his duties to his mother

So Love would still be lord of all.

Taking to the skies on his dragon steed

Ere the sun set on Dunbroch hall

Traveling far and wide to fill a need

So Love could stay as lord of all.

Then he fought the false dragon king

In the rising sun at Dunbroch hall

By defeating him gave the Scots wing

So Love would stay the lord of all.

But he succumbed to his grief

As the sun set on Dunbroch hall

This young lad, this mighty chief

To Death and Love, the lords of all.

And now their weary souls are free

To watch the sun on Dunbroch wall

And knowing that wherever they be

That Love was still the lord of all.


	2. Destiny & Determination (P&P)

Heather linked arms with Merida, clearly nervous about the ball. The redhead patted her sister's arm, "Don't worry about a thing, Heather, everything will be alright. Unless Ruffnut and Tuffnut do something."

"But wouldn't that just add to the fun?"

"Yeah, but, tonight, you're trying to catch someone's eye. I'll try to keep them at bay."

"Thanks Mer," Heather smiled. The two stopped, they had reached the back of the line, right behind their parents, Elinor chatting away with another lady in the line as it slowly progressed forward.

"I just hope the triplets don't give Maudie a heart attack while we're gone," mumbled Merida.

Heather giggled, "Well, maybe we should start telling them if they want to come to a party, they have to behave with Maudie."

"What? Those three in the same room with the twins? That's a disaster waiting to happen!"

"Well thanks for the vote of confidence," quipped Ruffnut, surprising the two.

"What? They know us pretty well . . . ow!" exclaimed Tuffnut as Ruffnut hit his shoulder. Before the two could get into another brawl, a gasp emitted from the crowd. Everyone glanced up, a magnificent airship was parked in the sky and a black being glided to the ground. The person undid the straps attaching him to the machine before taking off his helmet and combing his fingers through his auburn hair. Merida was a bit taken back, not just by the strangeness of his entrance, but also by the intent gaze of his green eyes.

"Haddock! You made it!" exclaimed a robust blond as he burst from the house, passing Heather and Merida on the way out.

"Yes, I made it, sorry I'm late, Ingerman, hit some wild turbulence on the way over here."

"Oh that's alright, we're just getting started." Ingerman led his friend to the end of the line which was finally getting to the door. "Oh, look, and these are the people I was telling you about, Miss Heather Dunbroch and her sister Merida, and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut."

"How do you do?" the Dunbrochs gave a little curtsy as they spoke.

"Hiya, handsome, got a dancing partner tonight?" crooned Ruffnut.

"Well, I'm not exactly ready . . ."

"Well, when you are ready, let me know, alright?"

"Bleh," was all Tuffnut said before grabbing his sister's arm and whisking her away to find some mischief.

"Uh . . ."

"Oh, they're off to make things interesting."

Haddock rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"Oh, before I go back to welcoming people . . ."

"Wait, you left Astrid to welcome people by herself?"

"Oh, yeah, I did, she is so going to kill me."

"That she will."

"But I haven't seen you in years! Guess I got a little excited."

"To see me, or my machines?"

Ingerson shot him a sheepish grin before turning back to the girls, "Right, uh, Heather, would you be my dancing partner tonight?"

"Yes! I-I mean, I'd love to, uh," Heather glanced at her snickering sister for help.

"Just hurry it up and finish your hosting duties before anyone starts attempting to sweep her off her feet."

"Oh? And what would happen if someone tried to sweep her off her feet?"

"I'd have to get the twins to help fend them off, and you remember what happened last time, don't you, Mr. Ingerman?"

Ingerman let out some air in an attempt to keep from laughing, "Boy do I." The three of them burst out laughing as each remembered the scene Merida was referring to.

"Did I just land in uncivilization? Never mind, forget it, I'm going to change, Ingerman, I might reemerge for the ball," muttered Haddock as he walked away.

"Does Mr. Haddock act like that all the time, Mr. Ingerman?"

Ingerman shook his head, "No, only when he doesn't understand something. We should have told him about the twins' antics so he would know why it's so funny. Ah well, give him a few minutes, he'll be back." Merida glanced down the path that Haddock had taken before joining everyone in the ballroom, the three of them not realizing that what Haddock didn't understand was how a pair of sky blue eyes had made his heart flutter.

"M-Miss Dunbroch."

"Mr. Haddock!" Merida gave a quick curtsy as Hiccup gave a quick bow. "Are you looking for Mr. Ingerman? He just left for a walk with my sister."

"Oh, he proposed to her?"

Merida beamed, "Yes, he did, and Heather accepted, of course."

"Wonderful."

"Did you convince him to come back?"

"I did, after we spoke in the fall, I came to realize that I had been wrong about your sister, and I set about making amends."

"Including what you for Ruffnut and MacIntosh?"

"Well, I couldn't just let her run off with Dagur, now could I? I think I did a good job of matchmaking that time, don't you think?" he grinned.

Merida laughed, "Maybe, but how can we ever thank you for everything you've done for us?"

"Thank me only for yourself, I only thought of you." Merida turned her head away, a flush coming to her cheeks. "Miss Dunbroch, I-I must tell you how I-I . . . feel," he began. Merida turned abruptly to glance at him, her eyes wide with surprise and curiosity. Was he still in love with her? Could she dare hope?

"Y-yes?"

"Well, um, I-I, uh, wanted to know, uh, have your feelings for me changed?"

Merida blushed as she glanced down, "Yes, yes they have, I thought ill of you when you were only doing what you thought best, not just for Dagur, but also for Mr. Ingerman. I must apologize, it was wrong of me to think so ill of you."

"I was wrong to have been so rash and judgemental, especially of your sister when I felt so strongly about you."

"So, your feelings . . ."

"Have not faltered these past months, they seem to have . . . . only, only gotten stronger," whispered Hiccup.

Tears threatened to fall from Merida's eyes as she rushed into his arms, "My feelings for has completely changed, I can't imagine the torment I put you through these past few months."

Hiccup kissed her face, "It was worth it, for now you're in love with me." He grinned at her when her eyes widened. She burst out laughing, it was true, the wait had been worth it, for now she would be completely his.


	3. Unsinkable Merida Haddock (Molly Brown)

Merida crumpled up the telegram and tossed it to the side, she didn't want to read anything sent by him. Of all the nerve! Did he really think that after that little outburst of his that saying sorry was enough? She passed by a few fellow travelers and put up a smile. Yes, he would probably be there at the port waiting for her when the ship arrived, but she had already decided to continue giving him the cold shoulder. He deserved it after all, he had no right to tell her who she could and couldn't socialize with, and after the friends he had made! She let out a puff as she entered her quarters on the ship, if he kept it up, she'd threaten divorce. He might be more agreeable to the idea now since their last argument. She thought back on it, it was undoubtedly heated, neither one wanting to give in. She sat on her bed and, sighing, sinking her head into her hands. What had happened to them? Before Hiccup's success, they were so happy, so content, so willing to compromise. But now, it seemed the money, the fame, it was threatening to tear them apart, and they were going with it. A knock at her door disturbed her thoughts.

"Mrs. Haddock? The captain just wanted to remind you that dinner will be served at seven."

"Uh, thank you, I'll be there!" Merida replied.

"Yes ma'am." stated the steward before his footsteps could be heard echoing as he walked away. Merida sighed as she walked to her closet to pick out a dress. She paused when she opened it, the sea foam green dress, his favorite as well as hers, hung like a memory begging to be saved from being forgotten. She bit her lip and pushed it aside, not wanting to have to think of him tonight. She paused and went back to the dress, maybe by wearing it and not thinking of him, it would mean she had gotten completely over him! A small smile touched her lips as she took the dress off the hanger and quickly changed, she would wear it with pride tonight, it was her dress after all, he had no say on what she could wear. She slipped on the matching shoes and her mint opal set before sitting at the vanity to do something about her rowdy curls. She pulled a brush through it and used as many bobby pins as was needed to keep her hair up in a messy bun. She dabbed a bit of blush on her cheeks and some lipstick on her lips, glanced at herself in the mirror to make sure she was completely ready and, with a sigh, walked out of her cabin.

He had paced around for who knows how long, glancing at the clock every now and then. Sighing, he ran a hand through his unkempt, brown hair, she didn't send him a telegram. A groan escaped his lips as he clenched his fists, he didn't know what to do to get her to forgive him, much less see what he was trying to say. Years ago, he would have known, but now, she was as mysterious to him as the sea she was traveling on. Heaving a sigh as he unclenched his fists, he went up to his room to change for a dinner party. He would just have to figure it out in the morning.

Merida laughed at the joke, though her heart really wasn't in it, there was too much on her mind. First off, she had been stupid, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Hiccup, even though she tried her hardest. When would it stop? She let out a little puff and decided to concentrate more on what was being said at the table, maybe he would finally fade from her thoughts. That's when she remembered the second thing, nothing being talked about at the table really interested her. She sorely wanted to moan and groan when something stupid was said, but she was a part of high society now, all she could was smile and nod. That didn't stop her from grumbling about how stupid that topic was in her mind, feeling awkward when they asked her a question she didn't know the answer to, or biting her tongue to keep from loosing some sarcastic comment. It wasn't until a steward came for the captain and he rose that she felt like she could breathe, but what the captain said next nearly took it away.

"I'm afraid there's been an accident, I request that all of you go to your rooms, put on your life vests, and make your way to the lifeboats immediately. This is only a precaution, there in fact be nothing wrong, but just in case . . ." he left it at that, bowed to his guests and walked out. The guests were muttering as they left the table, trying to figure out what was going on. Merida stayed quiet, ignoring everyone as she rushed to her room. Should she change her dress before getting into her life vest? The boat lurched forward, tossing her against the closet doors.

A voice echoed throughout the PA system, "Ladies and gentlemen, there is a hole in the ship. Everyone evacuate to the lifeboats, immediately. I repeat, evacuate to the lifeboats. Forget your belongings, your lives are more important at this point. Over and out." Merida didn't quite do as the captain requested, she grabbed a few things after she put on her life vest, the small things she stuffed in her purse and a couple of coats. She put the bear fur coat over her vest and draped the other one over her arm along with her purse before dashing out into the hallway. She ran into a crowd, the stewards trying to keep everyone calm and moving in a rapid yet organized pace. As they made their way to the lifeboats, they passed the stairway where the lower classes were shouting to be let up, the stewards barring them so the first class could get out first. One woman's voice in particular stood out to Merida.

"Please, at least just save my baby! Just save my baby!"

A steward approached Merida, "Ma'am, please, we need to keep the line moving."

"What about the lower classes?"

"They will be let out once we've gotten all of first class out."

"What happens if that's too late?"

"Why are you so worried about it?"

"I was one of them years ago," Merida stated before approaching the gate.

"Wait, Ma'am!"

"Just these two," she muttered as she reached down and pulled up the mother, wrapping the other fur coat around her.

"Th-thank you, Ma'am," stuttered the woman.

"Where's your husband?"

"H-he's already in America."

"Good, I'll make sure you and your child gets to him safely." Merida patted her reassuringly as she led her to the lifeboats.

"Women and children first! Women and children first!" came the steady call as Merida and her proteges got into one boat. The lifeboats were lowered and cast off, just as a cracking sound thundered over the dark waters. Everyone glanced back at the ship, it seemed that it was worse than earlier.

"Row, row!" The four rowers rowed with all their might, but one wasn't doing it right. "Come on, what are you doing?"

Merida glanced at the man, "Have you ever rowed before?" He shook his head. "Move over, I'll show you how it's done."

"I can row too, if someone could take my baby," stated the mother. A hand shot up from the back row,

"I can!" The mother gave her child to the richly attired woman, whom Merida recognized as one of the guests at the Captain's dinner table. She came back to the oars, sat across from Merida, and rowed. A gasp erupted from the people in the dinghy, causing Merida to look up and gasp.

"The ship, it's sinking! Oh God, it's sinking!"

"Row! Keep rowing! We can't be caught in the debris!" Merida rowed as hard as she could, the screams of those going down with the ship echoed in their ears.

They had sat there for several minutes, stunned by what just happened, before Merida took charge. "We're going back to save as many as we can!" Everyone nodded and, under her command, room was made for more passengers. They went through the debris, another dinghy went in a different direction.

"If you can hear us, we're coming for you! Shout when you see our lantern!" Merida called out periodically. They found three children before a whistle caught their attention.

"Over there!" The mother pointed just a ways ahead, a young woman was blowing the whistle and waving her arms.

"Row! We have to get to her before she freezes!" shouted Merida, giving the oar to the sailor so she could take off her coat. As they got closer, they saw the blonde swim back to some debris where a man lay. Merida bit her lip, either he was already frozen, or he was almost there. As soon as they got close enough, several of the passengers pulled the blonde in.

"No! We can't leave Jack!" Merida reached out and grabbed Jack's cold hand, pulling him into the boat with all her might. With some help, she got him into the waiting arms of the blonde, who held him close, tears streaming down her face. The look on the blonde's face struck a chord in Merida's heart. She thought of what would happen if their roles had been reversed, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

Hiccup reread the telegram, just to be sure, before sinking into his chair, horror written all over his face. How did this happen? Was she lost to him forever?

"Mister Haddock?" Hiccup glanced up, a look of concern spread over Fishlegs' face.

"Sh-she's gone, Fishlegs, the ship . . . went . . . down," whispered Hiccup, fighting to control his emotions.

Fishlegs took the telegram and read it, "But it says here that there are survivors, most of whom were in 1st class. Merida must have made it off."

"But how can we be sure?"

Fishlegs dropped a suitcase at his feet, "Go and find out. She's your wife, you still love her, and I'm sure she still loves you."

Merida walked slowly down the ramp, wanting to let her legs get as used to the land as possible. It was so good to be back! But she pushed that thought aside as soon the mother and child she had saved joined her side, she still had a promise to keep. The three stuck together while the woman scanned the faces for her husband. They walked slowly so she could look at each and every one. She paused and gasped, Merida followed her eyes, but couldn't see what she saw.

"Joey!" she screamed, waving and jumping. A man rushed to her and enveloped his wife and child in a heartwarming hug, tears coming down his cheeks.

"You're alright, you're both alright! Oh thank God!" He covered his wife's face in kisses, holding them both as if he was afraid of nearly losing them again. She stopped him and whispered something in his ear as she gave him the baby. He paused and glanced at Merida while his wife proceeded to take off the coat to return to Merida.

Merida smiled, "No, you keep it, it looks better on you."

"Are you sure?" Merida nodded as she pulled her own coat tighter around her. "Thank you, and thank you again for saving our lives."

Joey gave Merida a quick hug, "Thank you for saving my family. How can I ever repay you?"

Merida glanced at them, smiling, "Hold them close, and never let an argument, no matter how tiny it is, tear you apart." The two nodded, thanked her again, and shared another kiss before walking off. Merida sighed as she glanced around. The others she had saved were making their way home too, no doubt. Her eyes then wandered over the crowd, looking for any familiar face.

"Are you Mrs. Haddock?" asked a voice behind her.

"Yes," she instantly replied as she turned. She found herself looking into her husband's sorrowful eyes. The two just looked at each other, no words were needed to express their sorrow, their relief, their joy. He pulled her face towards him, and kissed her ever so gently. She didn't realize until that moment just how much she missed him, how much she needed him, and went back in for another kiss.

"Shall we go home?" he whispered into her ear. She nodded and, leaning on him, walked with him into the streets, glad to be finally back on land, back in her husband's arms. What laid ahead, she didn't know, but she would tackle it with the calm and reserve she held in the dinghy, and swore that she wouldn't let some silly argument come between them again.


	4. Last Stand (Avengers)

They didn't know how, but they ended up back to back to each other, she shooting arrows through the black horses as fast as she could, he blasting them out of the sky. However it happened, it didn't matter, it just felt good having someone watching their backs. She dared a glance at him as she gathered some close-by arrows, his black suit glistened in the sunlight, sweat pouring profusely off his face as his famous blue fireballs streaked through horse after horse. Her attention went back to the advancing nightmares, and withdrew her sword, they were getting close enough for close combat, and she needed to conserve arrows for emergency. She sliced through horse after horse, going through them as fast as she could, but there was more still coming.

"Everybody! If you can hear me, rendezvous at the town center, where the ship is! We need to hold them off for as long as we can until all of the civilians are evacuated!" The two glanced at each other, and nodded, they both had heard.

"Justin, this is Hiccup, Merida and I are on our way!" Several spots on his armour glowed blue before he sent out a massive burst of blue light, decimating hundreds of horses for miles around.

"Hiccup! Why'd you do that?" shouted Morrigan as he grabbed her wrist and began running towards the center of the city. "You know it won't be charged fast enough!"

"It doesn't matter! We'll stand a better chance as a team, together! Come on!" The two took off into the sky, Merida's grey cloak billowing in the wind behind her. It wasn't long before they noticed a glint and flew towards it, Justin waving his well-known shield. The familiar crown atop a sword lowered when he saw them approaching. Hiccup and Merida glanced around, Shrek, Mavis, Rapunzel, and the newest recruits, the twins Jack and Elsa, and Sandy, were already there.

"Did you just emit the Nightfury Blast?" Justin asked the instance they landed, getting in Hiccup's face.

"I had to, Justin," Hiccup shot back.

"Guys! We don't have the time for this!" blurted Mavis, pointing at the sky. There was Pitch Black coming in.

"So, the whole group's here, perfect. Now I can take you all out in one, swift blow."

"Oh, and the previous attempts on our lives didn't count because that was the best you got?" asked Jack, grinning. Pitch growled, the white-haired boy was really getting on his nerves. But a smile grew on his face that turned into a chuckle as he raised his hands, and a whole horde of nightmares approached on every side.

Hiccup sighed, "You had to mention that, didn't you."

Pitch cackled, "Prepare to die, Guardians!"

"More like prepare to kick some horse ninnies, because I am getting tired of this!" roared Shrek.

Justin grinned at him, "That's the spirit, Shrek, let's finish this once and for all!" Pitch sent the horde towards them, but they were ready. Hiccup's mask dropped over his face and began flying around, knocking off horses with fireballs. Shrek rammed into several more, tearing every single one he could get his hands on. Merida shot a few arrows before switching to her sword, keeping in time with Justin's sword and shield as they took out about a dozen at a time. Elsa and Jack sent icicles and waves of snow to clobber the nightmares, Jack sometimes using a staff he found to whack the horses. Rapunzel and Sandy used golden whips to slice through the horses at an alarming rate, while Mavis sent red electric bolts through them, sometimes using her mind powers to get them to crash into each other. Within a few minutes, they had vanquished more than half of Pitch's legion, but he wasn't done yet. He tried to get to the spaceship, but Sandy blocked him and sent him hurtling. Before Pitch could get back up, Sandy sent a stream of golden dreamsand at him, Hiccup helping by sending a wave of blue fire, with Mavis finishing it up with a few bolts of red lightning. They stopped, Pitch was still alive, but his clothes were torn and his breath came out in gasps.

He glanced up, "You know . . . ah!" Shrek had run up and sent him flying.

"Nicely put, Shrek," smirked Mavis. Shrek turned and roared at the remaining nightmares, and they took off running. "Shrek, we can't let them leave!"

"Don't worry, they won't. Dragon Riders! Make sure those nightmares don't leave the city!"

"Oh now we get to fight."

"Sweet! This is going to be so much fun! Ready sis?"

"Ready!" They saw a few streaks in the sky, decimating the nightmares.

"Hiccup, about your idea . . ."

"Yeah, I've already explained it to Mavis." Mavis nodded and shot Justin a look.

Justin nodded in return, "Alright, the rest of you get to the ships! I'll check for any stragglers before joining you."

"What about the core?" asked Rapunzel.

"I'll take care of it." Elsa and Rapunzel shared a glance, "It's my job." Rapunzel gave a slight nod before taking off.

Merida moved to follow, but Hiccup stopped her, "Listen, Mer, if this doesn't work . . ."

She shushed him with a kiss, "Don't speak like that, it will. You've been right before, you'll be right about this. I believe in you." Hiccup heaved a sigh and scrutinized her, her red curls tumbling down her grey cloak, her bow and quiver strapped to her back, her sword strapped to her belt, her torn, black leggings, her plaid mini skirt, her green shirt, her bright blue eyes. He wanted to remember everything, just in case. He shushed his thoughts with another kiss before replying to Mavis' calls and left. Merida bit her lip as she watched him go, engraving every detail into her brain, his crooked smile, his green eyes, the way he looked ridiculous with that stupid fin sticking out of his back, and his amazing black dragon-inspired armor. She hadn't wanted to let him know her worst fears, that she was afraid of losing him this day. But there was still a hope lingering in her chest, they had made it through before, they would most likely make it through yet again.


	5. Merida Brown's Clue (Nancy Drew)

"Mer, are you sure this is good idea? Shouldn't we wait for the boys?"

"They won't get here in time, Punz!" hissed Merida. "Drago will be long gone with all of the evidence by the time they finally get here!"

"But . . ."

"Listen, you stay here and keep an eye out for the boys and the cops, let them know where I am, alright?"

Punz nodded, "A-alright, but be careful Mer, please. Drago is very dangerous!"

"I know! Which is why we have to stop him, now." She gave her friend a quick hug. "If I'm not back in five minutes, they've caught me. You don't stay in this house another minute, you get out and wait for the boys, no matter what."

Punz nodded, cracking a smile, "Don't worry, I always do." Merida rolled her eyes before crawling over to the open study doors. She took a peek inside, no one was in the room, as far as she could tell. She crawled in a little further, eyes peeled for anyone or anything. Nothing moved, she couldn't even hear any soft breathing. She slowly stood, checking behind doors and under the desk, no one was there. Heart pounding, she quickly looked through the papers on the desk. Just because no one was there didn't mean that they couldn't be on their way. She let out a soft gasp, she found several papers implementing Drago as a crime boss using exotic animals as a cover, and even as weapons. It was all coming together, Valka had thought she had recognized him, and Drago apparently recognised her. Merida's hands trembled as she read more, he was planning revenge on the whole North family. She quickly folded up several papers and stuck them in the pocket of her plaid skirt before heading for the door. Three figures stepped from either side of the doorway, blocking her escape.

"Well, Miss Brown, you simply couldn't let it be, now, could you?" asked Drago as he pushed her back into the room, his two henchmen closing the doors behind them. "But I had figured as much, and now I can take out two birds with one stone, to put it nicely."

"Wh-what do you mean?" asked Merida, dread filling her chest at the sight of the rope in the hands of the henchmen.

"Oh, you're a smart girl, I'm sure you can figure it out. I mean, who's the most likeliest person to be the first on the scene to save you?" Merida blinked, what was he getting at? "What, you mean you haven't noticed? You're so smart, and yet you missed what's in front of you. You missed the most important clue to my plan. I hit upon it the instant I noticed young Hiccup showing such interest in you." Merida's eyes widened as she sucked in a breath, no.

"No!" she screamed as she made a mad dash for the door. The two henchmen caught her, quickly binding her hands behind her back and stuffing a cloth in her mouth, tying another over her lips. They turned her around to face Drago.

"How sweet, you like him too. I almost wish I could be a fly on the wall when he finds you, but I'm afraid I have to be out of town before your bodies are found. And don't worry about leaving him any clues, I'm leaving a very clear trail." Drago smiled as he went to the desk. His hand went under it and pushed a button, the back wall opening up behind him. He pointed at one henchman, "You, bring her over here." He then pointed to the other, "You go find the blonde, I want both North boys dead, one way or another." Merida was dragged into the secret room, kicking and muffled screaming. The room wasn't very large, so the light from the study illuminated it quite well, allowing Merida to see what it contained. There were two chairs up against one side wall, against the other side wall stood a large maze of tubes, with one long tube connected to a cage pinned against the far back wall. Merida realized with horror that it was a snake in that cage, just before its head rose from its coiled body, its red tongue flicking the air.

"Say hello to the Eastern Brown snake, Miss Brown, the most venomous snake in the whole world. I've trained it to attack moving objects first." Drago nodded at the chair, and the henchman shoved Merida into it, roping her to it. He quickly tied her ankles together, wrapping the extra rope around her legs before tying it tight at her knees. "I apologise for how tight the rope is, but I must take extra precautions. I don't care what happens to you, Miss Brown, but I must be sure that the Norths all die. It's just a matter of time before Valka succumbs to the poison, any day now, in fact. I"ll give Nick as much time as he needs to mourn the loss of his family. I am not a completely heartless man." That's what you think, Merida wanted to say, but the gag prevented her from doing that, only gargled sounds could come from her throat.

"Boss!" Merida was filled with dread, that was the other henchman.

"You catch the blonde?"

"No, the North boys are here, with the cops." Merida's spirits began to soar, but sunk once Drago let out a growl and opened the cage, the snake slithering into the maze.

"They're a bit early, but they'll still come for her. Let's go, the snake will do its work. Good day, Miss Brown." Merida's eyes glanced between the retreating men and the approaching snake, her heart thumping like a rabbit. What should she do? What could she do? Her eyes widened as she started to panic, they were closing the secret door, leaving her in complete darkness with a venomous snake! They didn't close the panel all the way, as Drago must have planned, letting a sliver of light shine on a certain part of the maze, the rest was still shrouded in darkness. Merida saw the snake pass through the light before disappearing into the shadow again. She struggled against her bonds, her muffled screams probably getting no further than the panel, they did their work well, she could barely move and she wouldn't be able to warn Hiccup in time. Unless he got to her before the snake did. Her eyes kept flitting back and forth between the panel and the maze, hurry Hiccup, hurry! The panel slowly opened, but dread filled Merida's heart when she realized that the door was opening because of a string attached to the snake's door. It had made its way out of the maze, and now towards her. The panel was now completely open, in full view of whoever walked into the study. Drago had planned it well, if Hiccup hadn't arrived by the time the snake got out, he would get to watch her die. She stiffened, the snake had found her feet and was slithering up to her lap. It coiled up on her lap before raising its head, their eyes meeting. Merida was trying to calm herself down, but she kept breathing hard. The snake flicked its tongue, lowered its head and raised it, as if it was looking for a spot to bite. Merida's eyes widened as it reared back, and watched with surprise and relief as the snake was thrown off her lap.

"Uh, Hiccup, that thing's going to come back," pointed out Jack. Merida glanced over, Jack was standing in the doorway, Punz clutching his arm as she watched the snake's movements with fear.

"I know." Hiccup pulled out a gun, and shot the snake.

Jack gasped, "Hiccup, you took dad's revolver?"

Hiccup shook his head, "He gave it to me, thinking I would need it. Boy, was he right. Mer." Hiccup grabbed at the rope, cutting through with his pocket knife like an enraged lion, but he helped Merida up with gentleness. She fell into his arms, trembling like a leaf. "Are you OK?"

She nodded, "Yeah, good thing you were early. Drago might have had both of your bodies to show to your dad."

"Oh wow, glad we dodged that bullet."

"What were you thinking, coming here without waiting for any back up?"

Merida sighed as she took the papers out of her pocket, "He might have taken these with him." Hiccup took the papers, Jack and Rapunzel getting closer for a look.

Hiccup's eyes widened at one paper, "Mer, this is the antivenom for the poison in mom!"

"What?" exclaimed Jack, trying to look at the paper.

"Jack, we've got to get this to the doctor, quick!" The group rushed out of the study, nearly bumping into the sheriff on the way out.

"Oh good, you've found Merida! I'm sorry, but we've lost track of Drago and the Stabbingtons. They hightailed it out of here when they saw us coming. What you've got there?"

"An antivenom for mom's poison," began Hiccup.

Chief Alvin's eyes widened, "Well what are you still doing here? Go get that to your mom! We'll wrap it up here, now get going!" The four didn't need another word, they took off. They ran pell-mell down the wooded hill to the boys' motorcycles. It wasn't long before the boys had their bikes running and were off, the girls hanging on tight. They sped past the few cars they encountered before they had miles of open road separating them from the hospital.

"Hiccup!" came Jack's voice over the din. Hiccup glanced at his brother, he nodded his head at the rearview mirror, indicating he wanted Hiccup to look. Hiccup did look, his mouth dropped. Drago and the Stabbingtons were bearing down on them! Rapunzel gave a shriek when she noticed them. Merida thought fast.

"Can you take these bikes through unmarked short-cuts?" she shouted.

Hiccup glanced back at her and grinned, "You bet we can! Come on, Jack!" Jack grinned and nodded, following his big brother off-road and through the trees. They traveled uphill a ways before leveling off, weaving between the trees. Rapunzel and Merida checked behind them periodically before Rapunzel shrieked.

"They're following us!" The boys glanced back and gasped. The bulky car was maneuvering as fast as it could between the trees in pursuit of the motorbikes. Jack and Hiccup swerved around the obstacles in the forest easily, the car had to find another way around, or it just barreled through the obstacles.

"Jack, to the road!"

"Right!" Revving up their bikes, they lurched forward, the gap growing with every minute. The two bikes were fast approaching a ditch. "Hang on tight!"

"What do you think we've been doing?" retorted Punz.

Jack laughed, "I love you."

"Tell me that when we're on a date, not when we're being chased by criminals!"

"Alright, fine!"

"Jack, the ditch!" Jack glanced at Hiccup before glancing at the ditch, it was coming up real fast. A mischievous grin spread on Jack's face and went faster. "Jack! What are you doing?" shouted Hiccup. But he soon saw as Jack's bike went airborne, completely clearing the ditch.

"Woo-hoo! Yeah!"

Hiccup groaned, "I swear, between you and Jack, I'm going to die of a heart attack." Hiccup cleared the ditch easily enough, though he had gone slower and went down into it before coming back up. His bike screeched to a halt next to Jack's. "Don't ever do that again."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Yes sir, Captain North." They heard the tires of the car come to a halt, and four pairs of eyes glanced up at their adversaries. The car had been turned in such a way that the three men could see the four, but Hiccup's and Drago's eyes locked. A silent message was in that look, from there on out, the two would become mortal nemeses, but also, the chase was over. The car turned and went back into the forest. Drago's message was pretty clear, the Norths had won this round, but he would be back, and he would have his revenge.

They were able to get the instructions for the antivenom to the doctor in time, saving Valka's life. A few nurses insisted on checking up on the group, making sure everything was fine. Hiccup soon joined Merida out in the waiting room.

"Well, today was certainly interesting," began Hiccup.

Merida sighed, "Yup, nice motorcycle driving back there, and, um, thanks for saving me."

"Again."

Merida rolled her eyes, "Again."

"You know, you really ought to stop getting yourself caught like that, I mean, I'm beginning to think you might like it."

"What? Do you really think that I get caught on purpose?"

"Why not? I mean, with a handsome war hero who always saves you, why wouldn't you enjoy getting caught?"

"What? That is seriously the thanks I get for saving your mother?"

"Well, about that . . . I guess something besides a mere thank you should be in order for something so important. But really, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

"You're welcome." Merida and Hiccup had gotten extremely close, but Merida knew she could get this close, they had done it so many times and not once did they kiss. But then Hiccup fell forward, and their lips touched. It was for a short while, but that little moment felt like heaven.

Hiccup whirled around in his chair, "Jack!" Jack was leaning against the row, nonchalantly playing with his pocketknife while Rapunzel gave a smile and a wave.

"What? It's about time, I mean, come on, man, stop with the suspense! When you get that close to a girl, you're supposed to kiss her!"

"Argh, you little . . .!" Hiccup bounded from his chair and reached for Jack, but Jack moved out of the way and led his big brother on a merry chase around the waiting room. Merida couldn't keep the sparkles from her eyes when she remembered that they had finally kissed, while Rapunzel kept out of the way of the rampaging brothers as she giggled at the hilarity of the scene. Hiccup finally managed to catch Jack, just as two teens rushed through the doors.

"Hiccup, Jack, Punz, Mer! Elsa and Anna need our help!" blurted the girl.

"They just uncovered a clue that'll take us into Europe. It's big, guys, real big!" panted the boy. The four looked at each other, smiles spreading on their faces, excitement in their eyes.

"Who's up for another spine-chilling mystery?"

"I'll only go if you keep my spine warm, Jack North."

Jack grinned and pulled Rapunzel in close, "I'll be more than happy to oblige." Hiccup glanced at Merida, who merely nodded, grinning wide.

He turned to the duo, "Count us in."


	6. His Life (Pocahontas)

Merida spurred on Angus, looking for any signs of the path her father and the other Scots had taken. "Oh come, on where are they?" she asked in a panic. If she didn't get to them soon, he would die. Angus gave a little rear as something blue popped out of the ground in front of him. Merida gasped, it was the will-o-the -wisps! More were popping up, giving her a path to follow, at the end, a fire's glow could be seen bouncing off the rocks. Merida sighed with relief, "Oh, thank you, thank you so much! Let's go Angus!" The horse rushed forward, speeding up as they passed each wisp until Merida could hear voices, they were almost there.

"Let my son go, you Scottish monster!"

"Me, a monster? Have you looked in the mirror lately? Oh wait, I forgot, you heathens don't have mirrors!" Merida got a glimpse of the Scots' backs, they were laughing at her father's cruel joke.

"Come on, say something else, keep him occupied for just another minute, please!" Merida muttered under her breath as Angus was closing the gap quickly, though she felt it wasn't quickly enough.

"If you dare harm my son, I will hold nothing back!" roared Stoick, a hint of fear in his voice at the possibility of losing his only son. Merida caught the hint, her own fears urging Angus to go faster. She was finally close enough to see everything, Hiccup bound and gagged to one of the boulders, the Vikings stationed just to the side of the ring, Stoick's face full of fear and rage, her father about to unleash a volley of arrows into Hiccup. She didn't stop to think, she pulled on the reigns, making Angus stop, tumbled off, and knocked an arrow into place as she rushed forward to stand between Hiccup and the arrows, aiming it at her father.

"No, get back!"

"Merida! What are you doing? He's a Viking! And he pushed young MacIntosh off the cliff!" exclaimed her father.

"Ugh, why won't you listen to us? No he didn't! Someone else pushed him off!"

"Why would my son lie about it?" asked MacIntosh.

"B-because he saw something," muttered Merida, glancing down.

"Oh, and what did he see?" Merida glanced up at the Scots, then at the Vikings before turning to face Hiccup. Sighing, she freed him, and kissed him. Everyone gasped.

"Yeah, I'd jump off a cliff meself after seeing that," quipped MacIntosh. Fergus smacked him, "Ow!"

Merida turned to face her people, "I know Hiccup wasn't one of the suitors presented, but I choose him." Their fingers interlaced as Hiccup turned to face his people.

"And I choose Merida. Exile us if you want, but we will have it no other way. The choice lies with you, will we learn to live in peace, or will you exile us because you want to continue fighting each other?" The chiefs glanced between each other and their feet, seemingly unsure of what to do. Hiccup glanced back at Merida, she gave his hand a squeeze and smiled.

"Well, I don't know, we've fought the Vikings for so long, it would be kinda hard to get used to it," stated Fergus.

"Not really, your majesty, I've learned a lot about your people from Merida, we're really not that different."

"Well, if ya say so."

"Besides, we can help you keep the Romans away, and you can help us fight off other Vikings. Yes, even we have Viking problems." Hiccup glanced at his father.

Stoick nodded as he stepped into the ring of stones," Hiccup is right, about both of those. We can help you fight the Romans, and you can help us fight other Viking tribes. If you'd like."

Fergus rubbed his chin, "Well, that's certainly a nice-sounding proposition, but how will we be able to tell you apart from other Vikings?"

"Um, we wouldn't fire upon you," replied Stoick.

"And I could come up with secret codes and whatnot," suggested Hiccup.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing to do then," stated Fergus. Everyone gasped as he unsheathed his sword, and planted in the ground, holding out his hand to Stoick. A smile spread across Stoick's face as he too unsheathed his sword and stuck it in the ground, reaching over and shaking Fergus' hand. A cheer went up from both sides as Scots and Vikings raced forward to shake hands, dropping their weapons as they went. That is, except for one voice.

"What, how is this possible? Uncle Stoick, they're our enemies! They should be destroyed!" blurted Dagur.

"Dagur, no, it's better this way. We can work together to . . ."

"Oh, shut up with your attempts of peace! This isn't the Viking way! We must battle everyone . . ."

"No, Dagur! Things have to change! This isn't going to help us progress our society . . ."

"No, it will completely destroy it! We won't be purely Vikings anymore, we'll be a mix of this culture, and that culture, and . . ."

"Even though Scots have a lot in common with us already?" Dagur glared at Hiccup, he was making a good point, and Dagur was beginning to see it, but he didn't want anything to change.

"So, first the dragons, and now the Scots? Who's next, the Romans?"

"If it comes to that, maybe, but they have to be willing to negotiate with us."

"Hiccup's making a good point," began Fergus, but then glanced at Dagur. "Wait, was he the one who pushed MacIntosh off?" Hiccup nodded his head slowly.

"And I'd do it again," snarled Dagur.

Fergus turned to Hiccup, "Don't ever do that again, if one of your own hurts one of ours, don't take the blame for it, bring them forward for justice."

"But . . ."

"I agree with Fergus, son, that was foolish, and nearly started a war," stated Stoick.

"Well, looks like we can agree on some things," grinned Fergus. The two chiefs laughed, as their people joined in. Hiccup though, noticed Dagur's movement.

"No!" Hiccup pushed Fergus to ground, right as an arrow embedded itself in Hiccup's side.

"Hiccup!" screamed both Merida and Stoick as they dropped to their knees to tend to him.

Fergus immediately took charge, "Arrest that mongrel, he has now harmed both a Scot and a Viking."

"I was aiming for you, you stupid Scot!" blurted Dagur from between the guards.

"I know," muttered Fergus as the guards dragged him away. A few Scots and Vikings banded together to bring Hiccup to the castle. Elinor and Merida tended to his wound, making sure he was stable before leaving him to rest, though Merida lingered for a few more minutes.

"Hiccup, you did it," smiled Merida as she placed her hand over his.

Hiccup shook his head, "No, we did it." He glanced at her beaming face, and pulled her in for a kiss.


	7. Her Innocence (Ivanhoe)

Merida sat as still and as straight as a statue on the chair they had tied her to, staring out into the forest, knowing without truly knowing that he would come. The hour of her execution drew nigh, but nothing gave any sign that he was approaching. She didn't even blink when Dagur approached her yet again as the minutes ticked down.

"Love me, marry me, and I will take you away from all of this," he whispered.

"I would rather die than marry you," she boldly replied without even a sideways glance at him.

"Then if he does arrive, I will torture him before I kill the both of you," he hissed. He walked away, and only then did she let a tear glide down her cheek. For a moment, she hoped that he wouldn't come, spare him from the pain, but her conviction came back, he was on his way, and he would defeat Dagur. She chanced a glance at Alvin, the big Viking seemed worried for Hiccup's sake as well. She returned her eyes to the forest as a Viking announced five minutes until they had no choice but to execute her. A soft wind blew through the area, and everyone glanced up to the sky. She smiled, the Black Rider, her warrior, had arrived. The Nightfury glided to the ground, landing directly in front of Merida, and his Rider dismounted before tethering the dragon to the ground.

"What is she being charged with?" he asked with a hint of anger in his voice as he took off his helmet to let the council look at the anger blazing in his eyes.

Alvin cleared his throat, apparently taking a moment to gather the right words to say to the future king of the Vikings, "She has been charged with witchcraft, m-my lord."

"With what evidence?" The council glanced at each other nervously.

"She put a spell on me that made me fall in love with her, and I don't want to," hissed Dagur from where he stood. Hiccup immediately turned on him.

"Did she now? Then why would she put said spell on you?"

Dagur glanced between him and Merida, "I-I don't know."

"Of course you don't know, because she didn't! The only things she's ever done was heal me, keep me from the brink of death. And for that, I owe her my life. If there is no real evidence, I demand her immediate release!"

Dagur laughed cruelly, "No chance of that, little brother."

"Hiccup!" screamed Merida as Dagur unsheathed his sword. Hiccup whipped out his sword and met Dagur's onslaught amidst the gasps of the council. Hiccup parried every swipe of Dagur's blade, Dagur not giving him a chance to go on offensive. The fight took them to the front of the council, near Toothless, and dangerously close to Merida. Hiccup realized Dagur's game when he cast a threatening glance at Merida, and positioned himself between the innocent girl and the insane Viking.

A malicious grin sent chills down Hiccup's spine, "I told her that I'd torture you before I killed the both of you, but it looks like I'll just have to kill both of you. I am so tired of you getting in my way!" He lunged forward, Hiccup sidestepped and knocked him off his feet, his sword landing mere inches from Merida's feet. The sword didn't stay down for long as Dagur snatched it up from the ground, and Hiccup tackled him to the ground. They wrestled each other, keeping their swords from making contact with their skin, though the swords were dangerously close to cutting them. Hiccup managed to unarm Dagur, sending his sword clattering to the side, and pointed his sword at Dagur's throat.

"Surrender, Dagur, I might spare you."

"Spare me? Ha, I'd rather death than your kindness," spat out Dagur. He pulled out a dagger and stabbed Hiccup. Merida screamed and Toothless roared as Hiccup stumbled over, his hand clutching the wound. Dagur rose from the ground, cruel insanity ablaze in his eyes as he stole forward, the bloody knife gleaming in the sunlight. He yelled and charged, the knife raised above his head, Hiccup glanced up, a resolved determination in his eyes. Dagur paused a few inches from Hiccup's head, a fearful realization dawning on him as he glanced down. Hiccup had thrust forward his sword, which was now imbedded in Dagur's chest. Dagur stumbled back, it was quite clear Dagur was defeated, and very nearly dead.

"The Scot is innocent!" announced Alvin. Hiccup stood up shakily, took the knife from where Dagur had dropped it, and cut Merida loose. "Take him home, m'lady." Alvin gave a nod to the Black Rider before leading the council out of the arena. Leaning on Merida, Hiccup walked with her back to Toothless, and after a bit of maneuvering, they were off.

Merida had persuaded her father to stay until Hiccup was back on his feet, but the day still came too soon.

"Are you sure about this, Mr. Dunbroch?"

Fergus nodded, "Yes, when you have a child of your own, you'll understand."

Hiccup glanced away, "Actually, I think I do understand." Later he found himself standing at the port, watching Merida and her father supply a boat.

"I hope you have a safe trip," he stated, using his good arm to shake hands with Fergus. He lifted his casted arm when Merida came forward, "Thanks for putting me back together."

Merida smiled, "Well, someone had to do, might as well be me, I've had loads of experience."

Hiccup chuckled, "I'll bet you do." There was a pause, they shifted their feet, trying to think of something next. It was Merida who broke the awkwardness, she let out a sigh and gave him a hug.

"Thank you, for saving my father, and me," she whispered into his ear.

"You're welcome," he replied, digging his nose into her red curls. They stood there for a minute, squeezing tighter before letting go.

"Well, if you're ever in the neighborhood, you'll know where to find us, right?"

"Yeah, I'll try to hurry it up and heal faster so I can visit you," he stated, his forehead lowering to meet hers.

"Yeah, you do that, and try not to get hurt before then. I want you to visit us, not come looking for me to take care of you again."

Hiccup chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Merida, let's go!" The two glanced at Fergus, he was sitting in the boat, waving his daughter over. She turned back to Hiccup, biting her lip.

"B-but, if, if we never see each other again . . ." she paused, her gaze going straight to his green eyes before pulling him in for a kiss. He pulled back, surprised. Merida let out a sigh and turned to leave when Hiccup pulled her back towards him, and kissed her. They finally let go, Merida only letting go of his hand once she entered the boat, and they were off. Hiccup watched the boat float into the distance, a pair of blue eyes, red curls, and a sweet kiss haunting his mind as she slowly disappeared from his sight. Merida's own mind refused to release his green eyes, his shaggy brown hair, and the taste of his lips still lingered in her mouth as his still, straight form lingered on the port before the island completely disappeared from view, neither sure if they would ever see each other again.


	8. Count of Berk (Count of Monte Cristo)

"What does the Count of Berk have to do with the termination of my place in the senate?" asked Drago with a glare.

The auburn-haired man glared back, "I think a better question would be, what does the Count of Berk have to do with Hiccup Haddock?" Drago glanced at him questioningly before his eyes widened with realization.

"Hiccup . . . I see, now everything makes sense. First Alvin, next Mordu, then Dagur, and now me. Well played, Hiccup, well played, you've got your revenge." Drago unsheathed his sword. "But I claim the right to send you back to the dead!" With a snarl, Drago charged. Hiccup unsheathed his own sword and met the onslaught, parrying each blow with ease. A few minutes into the fight, a crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle, followed not long afterwards by several members of the Senate and authorities. When Hiccup disarmed him, the authorities just about swooped in and arrested Drago.

"This isn't over yet, Hiccup!" shouted Drago as he was being led away.

"Yes it is, Drago, I'll make sure you are in prison for life!" one of the senators shouted back at him. He turned to speak to Hiccup, but the Count was already heading for home in his carriage. He walked into the vast mansion, not paying attention to any of the finery as he made his way to the top of the stairs and down the hall. He had no eyes for anything or anyone, except for the redhead who stood up as he entered her room.

"Is it done?"

"It is done, we have our revenge."

"And the woman you loved?"

"Safe on a boat, on her way to start a new life with her husband and son."

"Why did you let him go?"

"He had no part in the actual plot, even tried to help me when he realized I had been imprisoned wrongly, but I was transferred to the Prison when he wasn't looking, so he had no idea where I was. They wouldn't tell him for they feared he would help me bring this injustice to light, which he would have. But when he couldn't find me, he married Astrid as a means of keeping her from Dagur's clutches. In that, he served me well, and has loved her as well as he could in my place."

"Now what will you do? Dagur, Drago, Alvin, and even Mordu have been brought to justice. Your efforts have paid off, and I cannot thank you enough for bringing justice to those who murdered my father, and sent my mother and brothers to their deaths in slavery." He glanced down and sighed, he really hadn't put much thought into it. She stepped closer and spoke, "Master Hiccup, permit me to ask again, what will you do now?"

"Well, I guess I can use this wealth now to do what the priest asked me to do, and do a lot of good with it."

"I guess you've already started, haven't you?"

He glanced at her questioningly, "What do you mean, Merida?"

She gave him a half-cocked grin, "You gave them some gold, didn't you? You clearly still love her enough to keep an eye out for her well-being."

Hiccup grinned in return, "You've come to know me way too well, princess."

"I've been your slave long enough to get to know you, besides our shared interest in revenge for our fathers."

"But now you are free. Now, what will you do?"

Merida shrugged, "Not sure, I've been a slave for many years before coming to you, and I don't think I can take up governing my kingdom, my father's friends and relations are doing a good job. You know, I might like to see the world, go on a real adventure."

"Money can't buy you an adventure."

"Oh no, of course it isn't the money, it's the people you're with, the people you'll meet."

"Are you planning on traveling with anybody?"

Merida wrapped her arms around his neck, "That depends on who wants to come with me. Though, there's really only one person I had in mind."

Hiccup blinked, a twinge of jealousy almost rearing its ugly head, "Who?"

"You, my lord, if you do not mind my company."

Hiccup smiled with relief, "No, not at all, princess, if, if you do not mind traveling as my wife." He grinned as Merida was taken back by the statement, her eyes widening and something of a blush reddening her cheeks.

"What? Your wife?"

"Yes, Merida, as my wife. I may still love Astrid, but things have changed, and I must move on. But I do not ask because I am desperate that I will not find another. No, I have found myself falling in love with you. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?" Merida stood there, almost as still as a statue with surprise written all over her face, before she let out a squeal and just about knocked him over with a lunge.

"Yes, yes, I will be your wife, with all my heart!"

"Oh good, I wouldn't want a partial one." The two laughed before Merida quickly got a kiss. Hiccup was surprised at first, but let himself get lost in the second one, things were going to look up from there on out.


	9. The Witch's Cauldron (Black Cauldron)

"Oh, how could have I been so stupid? We basically got the cauldron for the Bear King!"

"Of course, that explains our easy escape!"

"Merida, not now," grumbled Hiccup.

"What do you mean, not now? It's the perfect time! It's not like we're going anywhere any time soon!" Merida pulled on the rope that bound her wrists together.

"Oh, why don't you shut up and act more like a princess?"

"Once you shut up and act more like a blacksmith!"

"Oh, how about the both of you quit your loud flirting and come up with a plan to stop the Bear King's plan?" quipped the wild-haired man next to Hiccup.

"We're not flirting, MacIntosh, we're bickering!" exclaimed Hiccup.

"Yeah, well, with you two, I can't tell the difference." Hiccup and Merida glanced down, their faces rather red. MacIntosh took a quick glance at the harp strung to his chest before looking at his friends. "Now, listen, we've got to come up with some way to stop the cauldron!"

"But how? We can't even get close! We're tied up, as Merida so eloquently put it."

"You know, if you weren't a blacksmith, you'd make a great politician, you both like using big words," quipped Merida.

"OK, now you two really are flirting . . . in a weird way, and at the worst time of all. Seriously, if I hadn't know that the two of you had been practically isolated for most of your life, I'd say you're dense!" MacIntosh paused as all three glanced at his hands.

"MacIntosh, you're, you're free?" exclaimed Hiccup.

"Wait, how . . ." A noise from above them made them look up.

"Toothless! Good job buddy!" Toothless gave a happy gurgle before freeing Hiccup and moving on to Merida. "Alright, I think I have a plan, MacIntosh, you and Merida find a way out of here."

"Wait, Hiccup, what are you . . . what are you doing? Hiccup!" exclaimed Merida as Hiccup jumped onto a ledge overlooking the cauldron.

"I have to do this. You remember what the witch said? It's the only way!"

"No, Hiccup, don't!" Toothless flew over to where Hiccup was, landing between him and the edge. Hiccup glanced up, the dark beast's eyes pleaded with him.

"Move, Toothless! I have to do this bud, now get out of the way!" Toothless gave a little whimper, but shook his head and glanced down at the steaming cauldron below. "No, Toothless, don't!" Hiccup moved to grab Toothless' foreleg, but the dragon had already jumped, headfirst into the cauldron. "Toothless! No!" Fiery-red lights rippled through the air when Toothless' body hit the water inside it, pulling the pale green smoke back into the cauldron. "No, no!" He rushed down to the platform where the cauldron sat, Merida and MacIntosh on his tail.

"What are you going to do?" asked Merida when she saw Hiccup turn towards the cauldron.

"I have to see if there's a chance Toothless made it. You two go on ahead, I'll meet up with you."

"Alright, if you insist," stated MacIntosh, grabbing Merida's hand and racing off, leaving Hiccup to face the cauldron alone. Letting out a breath, he took a step forward before things began to go downhill. The wind sucking the green smoke into the cauldron picked up speed, quickly becoming a gale. A yell escaped Hiccup's lips as he fell, the wind's current starting to pull him towards the cauldron. He fought the wind long enough that he found a handle he could hold on to, hoping the wind would let down long enough for him to find Toothless and get out. But a gnarly voice caught his attention, and he glanced up, letting out a gasp, there stood the Bear King, his eyes seemed to glow with an angry fire.

"You, you've ruined everything!" growled the Bear King, his bear claws grabbing Hiccup's face. With a muffled yell, Hiccup swung his legs around and kicked the Bear King as hard as he could, causing Mor'du to release him and tumble into the grasp of the wind. Hiccup tried to pull around, but Mor'du got a firm grip on him. "No, you will not escape. You shall appease the cauldron's hunger." And picking up the tiny form, he tossed Hiccup at the cauldron,, the boy landing hard at the cold, bottom step. But the cauldron seemed to have other ideas as the wind whipped around harder, apparently having found its prey.

"No! You cannot have me! My power cannot be taken from me!" screamed Mor'du as the cauldron's power pulled him closer. Hiccup watched with fear and astonishment as the cauldron seemed to peel everything away from the Bear King before he completely disappeared in a burst of flame. The ground began to shake before the cauldron fell through the floor, the stairs falling after it, giving Hiccup barely any time to get to his feet. He ran out of the room, right as the floor toppled into the water below.

"Merida! MacIntosh!"

"Hiccup! Over here!" Merida waved him over.

"Oh, thank goodness you're safe. We've got to get out of here, the castle's crumbling apart!"

"We can see that! Let's get going!" MacIntosh yelped as he pushed the other two forward. Hiccup grabbed Merida's hand and led the way through the castle, the floors crumbling mere seconds after MacIntosh's feet left the spot. Hiccup led them down corridors and stairs, finally getting them to the very bottom of the castle.

"Hiccup, there's a boat," Merida pointed out as Hiccup took a step down the stone path.

"Oh, good." He went to untie the rope while the other two got into the boat. He grabbed a pole and handed it to MacIntosh. "Push us off!"

"What? Why me?"

"Just do it!" snapped Merida.

"Oh fine," he grumbled, and pushed off, the boat drifting into the river.

"Oh no," gasped Merida. The other two glanced up, Merida pointed at a gate in their path, closed and bound with iron chains. "Hiccup!" The teen had jumped out of the boat and waded towards the gate.

"I'm going to try and open it!" he announced as he worked at the iron chains.

"Oh! Hurry it up! That back wall looks like it's about to collapse on us!" Hiccup unwound the chains as fast as he could and pushed open the gate. He waded back to the boat and helped MacIntosh push the boat through the gate before trying to hoist himself back into the boat. MacIntosh turned to help him, and saw the back wall. "Ah! The wall's going to cave in!" He pulled Hiccup into the boat just as the wall fell into the water, sending the boat and its screaming passengers flying through the tunnel and into the bay. The three finally managed to surface, coughing up whatever water they had accidentally swallowed and climbed onto the overturned boat. MacIntosh found the pole and began pushing them towards shore. The three alighted when they reached the shore, thrilled to have the sturdy ground beneath their feet.

Hiccup gasped, "Look!" Not far from where they had landed, the cauldron bubbled up to the surface. "Toothless," he muttered sadly.

"Aha, there it is! Well, well, and look at this, there you are too!" cackled the old witch. Her boat came up next to the cauldron. It took her some effort, but she managed to lug it onto her boat without capsizing it and rowed to shore. "Thanks so much for getting rid of that pesky Bear King, he was such a nuisance! Oh, here's your sword back, as thanks for taking care of this." She got out of the boat with the elegant blade.

Hiccup reached out to grab the sword, then paused, sighing, "No, if you could, I would like Toothless back."

The witch blinked, "Huh?"

"H-he's the one who jumped into the cauldron." The witch blinked some more before shoving the sword and scabbard into Hiccup's arms and got back into her boat to look into the cauldron.

"Eh? Toothless can fit in here?"

"What?" Hiccup dropped the sword and rushed to the cauldron. "Toothless! You're, you're alive!" Merida gave a squeal when the black head popped out of the cauldron. Hiccup laughed as the dragon licked him. "OK, bud, OK, I'm happy to see you to. Come on, get out of there!" Toothless more than willingly obliged as he bounded out of the cauldron and knocked Hiccup onto the beach. Toothless landed on the beach more gracefully, giving him room to shake his scales and stretch after such a tight squeeze in the cauldron. Merida rushed forward to give the dragon a great big hug.

"Oh, we did miss you," cooed Merida as a low, humming sound emitted from Toothless' throat. Hiccup had risen and joined them in the hug.

"H-hey, where you going? What about the sword?" Hiccup, Merida, and Toothless glanced behind them at MacIntosh's exclamation, the witch was rowing away.

"Huh? Eh, keep it! I have a feeling you're going to need it soon anyway!" She waved and in a few minutes, she and the cauldron were out of sight, a crow following in their wake. Hiccup went to pick up the sword and scabbard, attaching the scabbard to his hilt and sheathing the sword.

"Well, now you look like a real hero."

"Yeah, well, I still don't exactly feel like one."

"What? Well, real heroes get kisses from real princesses." Merida marched forward and pulled Hiccup forward, planting a nice big kiss on his lips.

"Wow, I could get used to this."

"Of course you could." They kissed again, only to be interrupted by Toothless' snorting. Merida walked back to him and began scratching him.

"Thank you, you useless reptile. I was enjoying that!" The others laughed. "Well, what you do say we all go home."

"It's about time!"

Merida giggled, "I think that's a good idea." Toothless bounced up and down, showing his excitement.

"Ok, bud, calm down. You have to stay still so we can get on." Hiccup hoisted himself onto the dragon's saddle and held out a hand to help Merida up, MacIntosh taking up the rear. "Alright, everybody ready?"

"Yup!"

"Then let's go!" Toothless spread his wings and took off, all heading off to home, at Gobber's smithy.


	10. The Alpha is Rising (The Dark is Rising)

"Oh no," gasped Merida. A dragon almost as large as the island itself was beginning to rise from the center of it.

"We're too late," whispered Astrid.

"Hiccup! Hurry it up! Get the signs to the temple, now!" shouted Gobber as he ran towards the two witches battling Drago.

"But how am I supposed to put them all in at one time?" Hiccup shouted back.

"Your girlfriend was on the right track!"

"She is not my girlfriend!"

"Seriously? Now is not the time to be arguing your relationship status!" exclaimed Astrid. But Hiccup had already turned to Merida, wondering about more important issue at hand.

"What right track?" Merida glanced at him quizzically, but her eyes widened in realization.

"There has to be six people to put the signs in!"

"Yeah, but which six people?" asked Eret.

"You mean five, Hiccup's one," replied Merida.

Hiccup gasped, "I know. Merida, Astrid, Eret, Ruffnut, MacIntosh, you're with me! Snotlout, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Dingwall, and McGuffin, I need you to cover us! We're going to have to make this quick!"

"Right!" came the unanimous reply. The teens split up, Snotlout's group steered their dragons towards the battle, while Hiccup's group went in low towards the temple.

"Stop them!" shouted Drago. Several of his men aimed for Hiccup's group, but Snotlout's group swooped in and engaged them in battle. "No! Stop them, you fools! Stop them! Ah!" Drago and his dragon were sent flying by one of Gothi's dragon's fireballs.

"Give it up, Drago, the prophecy states that we shall win," announced Gobber.

"Never! The Alpha shall awaken, and all dragons will belong to me!"

"Nope, not gonna happen," stated Gobber before he and the witches re-engaged Drago in battle, primarily to keep him from getting to the temple. Meanwhile, Hiccup's group was making their way to the center of the temple, where a large dragonstone sat beneath a dragon fruit tree.

"Wait, what are we supposed to put the signs in?" asked Eret, glancing around for something to hold a circle. Hiccup didn't reply, his face grim as he opened a pouch on his belt and handed out the six signs.

"Hiccup?" asked Merida.

"We, we're the holders. We have to stand around the stone and the tree with the signs." He glanced at each one with sorrow, "I don't know if we'll even make it out alive. If I could do this by myself, I would, but, I need your help."

"You know we're here for you, right?" asked Eret, placing a reassuring hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"We're in this together, Hiccup, for good or bad," remarked Merida.

"But, if we don't make it . . ."

"If we do make it, Merida officially becomes your girlfriend, you go out with her, no excuses, got it?" blurted Ruffnut.

MacIntosh eyed her, "You wanna help me make sure of that?"

"I like that idea."

"Ugh, let's just make it a triple date and be done with it! We've got to save the world first!"

"Astrid's right, and according to the poem, Fire stands between Earth and Lightning, Air is in between Lightning and Water, and Ice is in between Water and Earth." As he spoke, he situated each person in a place around the tree and the stone before taking his place between Merida and Eret.

"Uh, isn't something supposed to happen?" asked Ruffnut.

"Uh, yeah, I don't know what's wrong, I know I have everyone positioned correctly, Ice, Earth, and Fire are supposed to be in front of the stone, and Air, Water, and Lightning are in front of the tree. Maybe we're too far back? Everyone, take a step forward." Everyone did, and waited a bit longer, the temple trembling with the rising alpha. "OK, another step."

"Uh, Hiccup, I don't . . . ah!"

"Merida!" Merida was engulfed in flames, but before Hiccup could take a step towards her, each of the other five was quickly enveloped in their elements. "H-hold on, just a bit longer!" shouted Hiccup, though he wasn't sure if anyone heard him. He had to think fast, the elements weren't going to harm them, at least, not yet, not while they held the signs. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down, there was a way, there had to be, something was nagging at his brain, begging him to remember. His eyes snapped open, that was it! He glanced down at his hand, it was outstretched, aiming the sign up, in the wrong direction! Hiccup held the sign firmly but gently and moved his hand to make the sign face the stone, the wall of earth moving with it, encircling his hand rather than his whole body. "Everybody, aim your sign towards the tree and the stone!" One by one, the signs were adjusted, and everyone aimed their signs towards the stone and the tree. The rumbling continued, but this time, the tree grew while the stone shrunk.

"I-I think it's working!" exclaimed MacIntosh.

"You bet it is!" grinned Eret. Hiccup let out a laugh, a laugh that ended in a yelp as the sign flew from his hand. The other signs soon followed, disappearing into the tree. The six stood there for a few minutes before realizing that the rumbling had stopped.

"We, we did it," began Astrid.

"We did, we did it! We won!" exclaimed Merida as she jumped for joy. There were handshakes, high fives, and hugs all around. When Hiccup got to Merida, he picked her up and spun around. When he put her down, he leaned in, only to be interrupted by someone clearing his throat. The six looked towards the entrance of the temple, there stood Gobber, the witches, and their friends. Gothi picked up her cane and pointed at something. Hiccup looked at the tree, there hung a lone dragon fruit. Hiccup went and plucked it before turning around and walking towards the witches to give it to Gothi. The other witch, Sandy, took it from him, and cut it into seven pieces with a pocket knife. She and Gothi handed out six of the pieces to the six holders before Gobber took the last piece and squeezed it over the stone. After the six holders ate the dragon fruit, the three ushered the teens out of the temple and towards the doorway.

"Wait, we're leaving, now?" Hiccup asked incredulously. "We just got here! There's so much I want to know, there's . . ." Gothi stopped him and beckoned him to kneel. Hiccup knelt, and she dipped her finger in a bottle before placing a sign on Hiccup's forehead with the thick liquid.

"What?" asked Merida.

Gobber explained, "Gothi has marked Hiccup with the sign of the dragon master, if we need any help, we'll be able to contact him. And, if he ever wants to visit, he'll know how to find us. But, you guys do need to go now, the portal between our worlds can only stay open for so long."

"I thought they were different times, not worlds?" asked Eret.

"Whatever you call it, you need to go, the portal's closing in a couple of minutes!"

"And when exactly were you planning on telling us this?" asked Hiccup as he rose.

"Uh, just now."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"Otherwise, it would be harder for you to say goodbye," remarked Sandy. The teens glanced at them in surprise before glancing towards the dragons.

"Yeah, that it would," muttered Eret sadly. They approached the dragons they had bonded with in a few months, and tearfully said their goodbyes before being rushed through the portal by Gobber and the two witches.

"Remember, we'll contact Hiccup if we need your help, so stay close to him!" shouted Gobber as the portal closed between them. The teens just stood there for several minutes, staring at what used to be a doorway to another world, another time, but now, there was nothing but trees. The wind blew through their hair, the rustling of the trees seemingly shaking them out of their stupor.

"It's, it's over, it's finally over," muttered Eret.

"Then why do I wish it wasn't?" Fishlegs mumbled as he glanced down. The others glanced down, all seemingly feeling the same. It was Hiccup who broke them out of it fully.

Turning to face them, Hiccup spoke, "It is over, for now, only for now. You heard what Gobber said, when they need us again, they'll contact me."

"If they need us again," pointed out Astrid.

'Which could mean never again," grumbled Ruffnut.

"Yeah," agreed Tuffnut.

"How do we know that? They weren't sure either. Why else would they need a way to contact us?"

"Hiccup's got a point there," stated Fishlegs.

"But what now? Things will never be the same," remarked Eret.

"No, it won't, but our world hasn't changed, just us. Come on, there's still a lot we can do."

"And a triple date to look forward to," winked Ruffnut. They laughed as Hiccup and Merida turned beet red.

"Guess some things don't change after all," snickered Snotlout.

MacIntosh wrapped his arm around Ruffnut, "Well, then, let's go plan that date, shall we?" They walked off, followed not long after by the others, Hiccup and Merida hung back for a little while.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup let out a sigh, "It's going to be harder for me than the rest of you, I'm one of them, but I want to be with you too."

Merida smiled as she took his hand, "Then be with me, here, for now, if they call back and you decide to stay there, know I'm staying with you."

Hiccup pecked her cheek, "Thanks, Mer, that means a lot. Come on, let's go make sure they don't pick something stupid to do." Merida laughed as they walked after their friends, their hands intertwined, finally.


	11. Dragon Hearts (Pandora Hearts)

"Merida, it's now or never!" shouted Hiccup.

"I know!" the black dragon shot back. The two were swerving around the Red Death, flying towards its mouth. Merida's dorsal scales lit up a fluorescent blue before she fired a giant fireball into the bigger dragon's mouth. The Red Death reared its head and roared in pain while the two flew around its head again.

"One more should do it!"

"You think?" Merida shouted back as she prepared to let loose another large fireball. It hit the inside of the Red Death's mouth, it took a little while after that, but it finally fell and disappeared into the ground. Merida came to land when a bright light engulfed the two. The two gasped, when they opened their eyes, they were standing on the bank of a river, Merida back in her human form. "What?"

"It must be another one of your memories," stated Hiccup.

"I know . . ." Some laughter interrupted her. Sure enough, coming into view was a boat, with Merida and Dagur rowing along, smiles on their faces.

"You, you look happy."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry it had to end."

"There was a good reason for it."

"What? Do you remember something else?"

Merida shook her head, "Nothing concrete, just a feeling, whenever I see him, I feel sick."

Hiccup blinked, "What makes you say that? Wasn't Dagur the only person who visited you and, well, did stuff like this with you?"

"Yes, but, he, he must have done something to betray my trust because, because the more I see of him, the more I hate him. Why can't I get that memory back, why can't I know what he did instead of all these icky, mushy memories?" She paused and glanced down, Hiccup had grabbed her hand. She glanced at him questioningly.

"We'll get that memory back, and all the rest, you'll see," smiled Hiccup.

Merida smiled sadly, "Thanks Hiccup, but there's only a few memories I have left to find, the Red Death contained most of them. This is just a fragment of them." The two glanced at the scene playing out around them, Hiccup gasped, as the boat moved past, a girl in a light blue dress and a white bonnet-like cloth covering her head appeared on the other side of the river.

"Why, that's . . ."

"The other me," Merida muttered. "Your voice reached into the Abyss." The other Merida turned and walked away, disappearing into the fog. The two blinked, and found themselves back on a street of ruins.

"Well, guess we'll just have to fight a few more dragons to get the rest of your memories."

"Yup, are you ready for it?"

Hiccup smiled, "As ready as I'll ever be, but first, let's go home and get some rest. This has really worn me out."

Merida laughed, "That's a good idea. And let's get something to eat, I'm starving!"

"Of course you are." The two turned and walked away, living to fight another day.


	12. Across the Highlands

I'll ride across the highlands

To meet the one I love

I'll ride across the highlands

While he flies in the skies above

Yes, he is a Viking prince

Someone I should fear

But he is such a gentle lad

How could I not hold him dear

He likes his freedom and wants some change

Just like me!

He likes to explore and discover new things

Enjoying the thrill of riding free

I'll ride across the highlands

To meet the one I love

I'll ride across the highlands

While he flies in the skies above

His eyes are like fields of green

His brown hair nearly a mess

But I don't care, you see,

My love for him I must confess

He is not like other men I know

Others show off to no end

He just wants to talk and ride

And yet I want him to be more than a friend

I'll ride across the highlands

To meet the one I love

I'll ride across the highlands

While he flies in the skies above

He'll ride his mighty dragon

And I'll ride my horse

Together we'll face our problems

And let fate run its course

I'll ride across the highlands

To meet the one I love

I'll ride across the highlands

While he flies in the skies above


	13. An Explosion of Truth (David Copperfield

Hiccup and his Aunt Gothi entered the room after Fishlegs. There, at the table, sat Merida and her father.

"Mr. Dunbroch, Miss, Dunbroch, if you don't mind being joined by our good friends, we shall begin shortly," stated MacIntosh as he showed Gothi to a seat. "We will be joined by two others in due time, but before they arrive, let me explain some of this. I understand there is a moment of your past you would like to forget, Mr. Dunbroch, but I must ask you to retell that dark moment to all once we are all present. Would you be able to do it?"

Fergus nodded, "Yes, if it will help put an end to all of this, yes."

"Thank you. Mr. Haddock, Mr. Ingerman, when I give you the word, I want you to restain the criminal. Be ready to move quickly, this one's a sly one." Hiccup and Fishlegs nodded, Hiccup knowing far too well the character of the criminal. "Good, thank you. He should be arriving shortly, if you will please stand by the door." Hiccup and Fishlegs each took a side of the door while MacIntosh threw a cloth over a strong box sitting in the middle of the table. Every few seconds he'd glance out the window, until he came back from his watch with an announcement. "Here he comes, be ready. Remember, Mr. Haddock, Mr. Ingerman, when I give the word, pounce." The two nodded, and in a few seconds, the door squeaked open and in walked Viggo, clearly taken back by the crowd.

"Well, what a surprise to see so many . . . old friends. What's the occasion? MacIntosh, why aren't you at your desk? Well, go on," waved Viggo.

"I have sat at my desk long enough, far too long, if you ask me, while the serpent slithered around right under my very nose. This serpent, this unholy demon is . . . Grimborn!" shouted MacIntosh, waving an accusing finger at Viggo.

"Oh, really? Now what would make you say that, and after everything I had done for your family?"

MacIntosh sniffed before turning to Fergus, "Mr. Dunbroch, could you enlighten everyone about that incident you told me in secret, pertaining to the Dragoneye Opals?"

Fergus heaved a tired sigh as he rose, "The Dragoneye Opals were entrusted to me by a client, a Mr. Alvin Terrebonne, to sell in London. In London I . . . I lost them."

"No, Mr. Dunbroch, you were drunk, and you either misplaced them, or they were stolen," stated Viggo.

MacIntosh glanced at Viggo, "Present company should do well to retain that word." Viggo stood up, and the two began to circle around the table. Hiccup was reminded starkly of two creatures, readying for battle.

"Instead of going to my client with the facts, like I should have, I tried to cover up the loss, and borrowed the money to pay him. But the interest was so high that I was soon mired in debt." He paused, telling this was not easy.

"Father, please sit," suggested Merida quietly. Fergus nodded and sat before continuing.

"I was forced to borrow money from my own clerk, Viggo Grimborn, to keep the affair a secret. I've been in his power ever since."

"Now, if present company can think of a different scenario concerning Mr. Dunbroch's misfortunes. The jewels were stolen, by the insufferable worm, the poisonous purger, Grimborn!"

Viggo scoffed, "You're just like your words, full of air, empty words. Where's your proof?"

MacIntosh scoffed in turn, "The low-down, no good, dirty cheater, the horrendous liar, the devilish hypocrite, Grimborn, asks for proof! Well, here is your proof!" With that, MacIntosh took off the cloth, revealing the strong box.

Viggo turned pale, "That's my strong box! How dare you touch it!" The door burst open, and in rushed another man.

"Don't fight it, Viggo, it's useless! It's best you came clean!"

"Shut up, Ryker!"

"Collar him!" At MacIntosh's shout, Fishlegs and Hiccup pounced Viggo, pinning his arms behind him. MacIntosh strode forward and fished out a key from his pocket.

"Don't you dare! I'll kill you, MacIntosh!" MacIntosh ignored the angry cries as he unlocked the strongbox and fiddled through the papers before pulling out what he was looking for.

Fergus stood up and gasped, "The Dragoneye Opals!" Everyone glanced at Viggo.

"How'd you know those were there, MacIntosh?" MacIntosh glanced at Ryker.

"You betrayed me!"

Ryker shook his head, "Never, I'd die first. I only took them out to look at them, for a moment."

MacIntosh nodded, "It was a moment, but I was there secretly, and a moment was all it took to prove Viggo's guilt. Now, if you two would hold him for a moment more, I shall let the authorities in." MacIntosh was only gone a few moments before returning with a few cops who promptly arrested him, MacIntosh having explained everything to them. A few minutes later, another man walked in.

"Mr. Terrebonne!" exclaimed Fergus.

"Hello Dunbroch, sorry to have heard that such misfortunes have been plaguing your mind. You should have come to me, I knew you wouldn't steal from me!"

"Not I, but my own clerk, whom I thought I could trust."

Alvin patted his shoulder, "He seems to have fooled us all."

"Except young Haddock," prompted MacIntosh.

"How so?" asked Alvin as everyone glanced at Hiccup.

"It was by his words that lead me to suspect Grimborn of other crimes before I stumbled upon this. He told me that Grimborn couldn't be trusted. And like many others, I didn't believe him at first, Grimborn had, in fact, taken care of my family's debt."

"As for my part, sir, I have known him for many years, and to be honest, I trust Miss Dunbroch's word over his any day," answered Hiccup. Everyone turned to Merida.

"I confided in Mr. Haddock that many people, my father included, feared Mr. Grimborn. Mr. Haddock has been kind for ever since, he has kept an eye on Mr. Grimborn whenever the two were in the same room."

Fergus scoffed, "More like keep an eye on you so you wouldn't do anything drastic."

"Father!" The others chuckled, she would have definitely done something.

"Well, after all's said and done, there is still the matter of the Dragoneye Opals. Come, Dunbroch, let's go set up a date to sell them now before I forget."

Fergus smiled, "Thank you, sir, you are too kind." The two left the room, and Merida and Hiccup stepped closer as the others went through the papers in the strongbox.

"Why, here's every penny he embezzled, he hoarded it all!" exclaimed Fishlegs.

"Thank you, Hiccup, for being here and supporting my father and Mr. MacIntosh through all of this," began Merida.

"But of course! Both are old friends, yourself included. I couldn't leave you to the wolves! I hated knowing that you were simply in the same house as that scoundrel! He has not harmed you in any way?"

She shook her head, "I think he felt certain that father and I would agree to the marriage to get out of debt, and I would have fought him every step of the way, but, when Mr. MacIntosh informed us he had a better alternative to the matter, we jumped on it. Oh, you have no idea how relieved I am with how it all turned out! Now I don't have to worry about marrying anybody any time soon!"

Hiccup chuckled, "You still refuse to marry?"

Merida crossed her arms, "Well, of course! There's no one I'm particularly interested in courting."

"Even with so many suitors?"

Merida scoffed, "Those boys? I'm looking for someone specific, more of a man, for one thing."

"Anyone in mind?"

"One, but he's busy with other things, it seems."

Hiccup smiled softly, "Well, I'm glad you've found someone. I'm sure you two will be happy." He brought her hand to his lips before joining Aunt Gothi in preparing to leave. He turned and waved to her before leaving, unsure of what he was feeling. He had to leave and think it over, why was he so upset that she had found someone?

Merida smiled sadly as she watched him leave, "I hope so too."


	14. Hiccup's Dragon (Pete's Dragon)

Merida just stood staring at the black creature looking back at her. He was actually kinda cute, for a dragon.

"Uh, Merida, this is Toothless, Toothless, well, this is Merida. There, you've met, can we go now?"

"I can see him, I can't believe it, I can see him!"

"Uh, yeah, he turned visible so you could see him"

"Can I pet him?"

Hiccup glanced at Toothless, who merely walked towards Merida, "Yeah, I guess so." Merida grinned as she petted the cool scales of the black dragon.

She glanced at Hiccup, "I'm sorry, for not believing you sooner."

"Yeah, well, it's nothing new."

"Well, then, it's time for something new." Hiccup glanced at her questioningly. "You said you had a plan?" Hiccup glanced at Toothless, and grinned.

"You bet, but I'll need the help of your brothers."

Merida giggled, "Oh, you can be sure they'll be happy to help." A couple of hours later, the six met up at the end of the Scottish hall.

"Alright, we're done!" grinned Hamish, as the triplets gave Hiccup the thumbs up.

"I'm all set on my end," stated Merida.

"So are we, I guess we're good to go."

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Hiccup?"

Hiccup nodded, "This is the only way. Thank you for everything." Merida quickly kissed him on the cheek, causing his cheeks to burn.

"You be careful, alright?"

"Uh, uh, yeah, sure, for you, I mean, uh . . ." Toothless and the triplets began snickering. "Oh, shut up! Let's get this over with." Toothless turned invisible, and followed Hiccup down to the main hall. There, Merida's parents were speaking to Hiccup's nightmare incarnate, Alvin. Drago was also there, still seeking Toothless for his own gain, along with several other Scots. He was the one who noticed Hiccup entering, and approached him.

"Where's the dragon?"

"What, uh, Toothless? Um, not here . . ."

"There's the stupid brat! Get over here!" Hiccup wanted to curl up in a corner somewhere, but forced himself to stand up straight, he had to face Alvin sooner or later, best do it when Toothless was nearby.

"No!"

"What? You dare talk to me that way!"

"I won't be your slave!" There were gasps as Elinor glanced between Alvin and Hiccup with horror.

"You made him your slave?"

"What? You're going to believe this little brat over me?"

"We didn't believe him about the dragon, either," Elinor pointed out. That made Alvin pause before snarling at Hiccup.

"And I want the dragon," stated Drago.

"You can't have him! He's free to come and go as he pleases!" blurted Hiccup.

Drago pushed him, "Be quiet, boy, the adults are talking."

Elinor handed a bag of gold coins to Alvin, "Here, this should be enough for the boy. Now leave, and if I ever see you here or hear of you prowling around here again, you will be thrown in the dungeons, am I clear?"

Alvin growled, "Perfectly." He took the gold with a greedy glint and left.

Fergus turned on Drago, "As for the dragon, you'll have to talk to the boy about that."

"I already gave my answer," stated Hiccup.

Drago growled as he turned on him, "I will get that dragon!" Toothless let out a growl as he became visible, he was getting tired of Drago. Everyone gasped as the dragon stepped between the two. "So, now he shows up. Come here!"

"No! He's just trying to protect me!"

Drago laughed, "What? Protect you? The only things a dragon would protect is its hoard of gold."

"Toothless doesn't have a hoard of gold," Hiccup muttered, realization starting to dawn in his mind.

"All dragons hoard gold."

"But not Toothless, and I should know, he's my friend." Toothless gave a quick nod.

"Are you sure, or is just because you claim the gold?"

"I can't claim what isn't there," snapped Hiccup, knowing now for sure what Drago was really after.

"You're lying."

"Hiccup hasn't lied to us thus far, why should he start now?" asked Elinor.

"Where is it?" growled Drago as he grabbed Hiccup by the shoulders. Hiccup shook him off.

"Toothless, now!" The two took off for the stairs, Drago gave a yell and followed.

"Hiccup, wait! What are you doing?" shouted Elinor as she and Fergus led the Scots after them. Hiccup didn't reply, his attention too focused on leading Drago through the halls and to the roof.

"Please be ready to move," he muttered under his breath. He didn't want Merida and the triplets to get caught in the path of the barrelling madman who was slowly starting to gain on him and Toothless. "Come on, bud, almost there!" shouted Hiccup as they turned a corner and raced up the final staircase, Drago gaining fast. They burst through the trapdoor on the roof, and circled around.

"Now!" came Merida's voice, and Drago quickly found himself entangled in a net. The Scots quickly surrounded Drago as Merida and the triplets rushed to Hiccup's side. "Are you alright?" Merida asked.

Hiccup nodded, "Yeah, nice timing."

"Take him out of my castle!" barked Fergus. The Scots dragged Drago off, practically kicking and screaming.

"I will get your dragon, I will come back and get your dragon!"

Elinor approached them, her hands on her hips, "And why couldn't you inform us of your little plan?"

Hiccup winced, "Um, because, I wasn't sure you'd believe me. I'm sorry, I should have . . ." Hiccup paused as Elinor pulled him in for a hug.

"Oh Hiccup, that was our fault, we should have believed you from the start, we're sorry."

"Would you consider a proposition that Elinor and I have?" asked Fergus.

Hiccup blinked, "What?"

"Would you stay with us, and consider us your family?"

"Aw, but mom!" began Hamish.

"He and Merida will be flirting a lot!" blurted Hubert.

All three stuck out their tongues and said, "Bleh!"

"Wh-what?" blurted Hiccup as he and Merida began to turn a nice red. Toothless began snortling. "Shut up!" hissed Hiccup as he swatted at the dragon.

"Oh really, huh?" asked Elinor as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Fergus just kinda stared in shock.

"You like Merida, and she likes you back? Um, Elinor, maybe we should reconsider . . ."

"I'd like to stay," muttered Hiccup.

"Really?" asked Merida, her eyes sparkling. Elinor and Fergus glanced at each other before Fergus sighed.

"Alright, he can stay."

"Yes!" The children shouted and jumped in the air before Merida gave Hiccup a hug. Toothless made a sound, and Hiccup glanced at him questioningly.

"H-hey bud, what is it? You're happy for me, but, why did you sound sad?" Toothless made a few more noises as Hiccup's eyes widened. "You - you're leaving? Why?" Toothless answered in grunts and whines. "I don't need you anymore? What are you talking about? I do still need you! You're my best friend!" Toothless let out a soft purr as he nuzzled Hiccup.

"Hiccup, you said so yourself, he's free to come and go as he pleases," Elinor stated softly.

Hiccup wiped his eyes on his sleeve, "I know, but . . ." Toothless nudged him. "You'll come back and visit?" Toothless nodded. "O-OK, but make it soon, OK, buddy?" Hiccup hugged Toothless again, the tears falling freely. "Thank you, for everything. You'll always be my best friend." Toothless backed out of the embrace, gave Hiccup one final loving look, and took off for the skies. He turned gave a roar as the family waved goodbye.

"You'd better come back soon Toothless, or we'll come and find you!" shouted Merida. Hiccup laughed, that was the truth, to be sure. Toothless snortled as well before giving another goodbye roar and disappeared into the clouds.


	15. Favorite Color

"Why is green your favorite color?" She got asked that question a lot, especially since everyone would take one look at her nearly all black outfit and raise an eyebrow. She'd come up with several different reasons why, but to be honest, she really wasn't quite sure herself why she liked green. Was it because it reminded her of trees? Or the grass beneath her feet as she ran around, breathing in freedom? Was it because it was the color of nature, since she really didn't care to be around people? Sure, she had her closest friends, Heather and Astrid, but she really didn't think customer service was a job she would ever consider. Sometimes she would answer with a shrug and an 'I don't know', because she really didn't know for sure. All she knew was that green was her favorite color, and black was a close second, as evident by her clothes. One day, she finally figured out why.

The school had only been in for a week when they got word that a transfer student was joining their class. Before the teacher introduced him, she reminded them to be nice as he had been through some tough times. But she needn't have worried, as soon as Hiccup Haddock was announced, everyone rushed forward to welcome him back. He was an old classmate who had moved away some years ago, much to his dismay and that of his friends. But now, he was back. As he sat down in the back by Merida, she realized with a start that he had green eyes. As the year went on and two rekindled their friendship, Merida began to realize a whole lot. Everything clicked into place, why she liked green, why she refused to go out with anyone, and even why she had an interest in dragons. Hiccup had influenced her when they were younger, because she had had a crush on him. Then came the day when Hiccup found out that her favorite color was green.

"Wait, what? Green's your favorite color? Really? I'd have thought it was black."

"Like you?"

"What? No, blue's my favorite color. But I'm kinda glad that we don't have everything in common."

Merida snickered, "Oh, don't worry, black is my second favorite color."

"Of course. But, why is green your favorite color?" Merid bit her lip, should she tell him? How could she tell him that it was because his eyes were green?

Instead, she said, "Well, why is blue your favorite color?"

He glanced down, "Um, it's, uh, kinda complicated."

"Same here." Hiccup smiled at her and let the matter drop, until he cornered one day after hearing a passing comment about his eyes.

"Do you like green because of my eyes?" he blurted at the first instance they were alone.

She could tell she was blushing furiously, "Wh-what? What makes you say that?"

"I am right, aren't I? You're blushing."

Merida hid her face in her hands, "Why do you need to know?"

"Because . . . because blue is my favorite color . . . because . . . of your eyes." Her head snapped up and glanced at him in surprise. He liked blue because of her eyes? "I-I mean, if it's not, fine, sorry about this, I just . . . I just wanted to know if you like me as . . . as possibly more than a friend . . . because . . . because I like you as more than a friend." Merida's eyes widened as her heart raced, he was confessing to her! "S-sorry this came as a shock, but, clearly I've had a crush on you for a long time and . . . mmph!" Merida pulled him in for a kiss when she realized he was just rambling. "What . . . what?"

"You wouldn't shut up!"

"So . . ."

"I've had a crush on you for just as long, and yes, I like green because of your eyes."

"Wanna go with me to the movies this weekend?"

"Well yeah, what kind of a question was that?" Hiccup grinned before they kissed again.


	16. The Clouds Burst

"Well, Toothless, here we are! Welcome to Scotland!" Thunder rolled overhead. "And it's going to rain. Of course." Toothless began to snort. "Ha ha, very funny, but what would you know about rain? You're used to the weather on Berk." Toothless gave a little whine. "You want to see some of Scotland before the downpour?" Toothless nodded with his tongue hanging out. "Alright, well, let's make this quick before the local weather, or the locals, overtake us." Hiccup would paused every now and then to map out the area while Toothless would roll around in the lush, green grass. He sighed after finished one, he wished he could just march up to the Scots and ask to consider an alliance, but they'd freak at the sight of a Viking. Not that Hiccup blamed them, he had heard of several Viking tribes that would plunder just because and strike fear into the villages they attacked. They certainly weren't thinking about making a good name for other tribes who might want alliances, but for most Vikings, the Scots were to be their arch nemeses. But Hiccup figured that it was no different with them than with dragons, he just had to go about it differently as Scots were humans and probably wouldn't get over their fear of Vikings as easily as some dragons. A bolt of lightning flashed through the air, splitting a nearby tree, the resulting thunder rumbled loudly. Toothless and Hiccup jumped at both sight and sound, but Toothless began to whine. "What are you complaining about, you big baby? You're the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself!" Hiccup glanced up at the curling mass of grey clouds, "But, we should find some shelter, and fast, those clouds look like they're about to let loose!" The two rushed through the forest as big drops began to slowly fall from the sky. They found a cozy little cave just as the storm unleashed its fury.

"That was cutting it close," muttered Hiccup before turning to glance around at their haven. Toothless stayed at the mouth of the cave, catching the rain with his tongue. "Hey bud, why don't we explore the cave for a bit . . ." He paused and reached for his sword, he thought he had heard something. Toothless apparently heard it too as he was instantly by Hiccup's side, growling softly. "No, wait," Hiccup whispered.

"Don't move," came a voice from the darkness. Hiccup quickly ignited his sword, taking the redhead by surprise, though her bow and arrow never faltered. "Who are you? And, and how are you doing that?"

Hiccup smiled as he carefully, slowly took a step forward, "I'm Hiccup Haddock the Third, Chief of Berk. This is my dragon Toothless, and I can show you, it helps with training dragons." He glanced down as his boot brushed against a pile of wood. He glanced back up, "Um, may I light it?" She nodded as she slowly began to lower her bow. Hiccup knelt and stuck his sword into the pile of wood. He removed it when the pile started to light, but the wind blew it out fairly quickly. "Ugh, right, give me a second . . . yow!" Hiccup yelped as he jumped back, the girl's horse practically copying him. Toothless let loose one of his fireballs into the firewood, getting a cozy fire crackling. "A little warning would have been nice, you almost seared my eyebrows off!" Toothless and the girl began to snicker.

"Aw, the wee lamb can't stand his own dragon's fire?"

"That's not the point . . . are you Scottish?"

"Well of course I am. What, did you take me to be a Viking?"

"You could have fooled me . . . no, that was bad, sorry. Um, I want to make an alliance between Scotland and Berk, and, well, I want to be learn about the ways of Scotland so that I can prove to the Vikings that we're really not all that different. Could you, uh, teach me, miss . . .?"

"Merida Dunbroch," she replied, shaking his hand. "And could you tell me about the ways of Berk? Perhaps I can help persuade the chieftains to consider your proposal."

"Well of course!" The two got comfortable around the fire, Toothless, and Merida's horse Angus, curled up while the two talked. When the rain cleared up, the two said their farewells and left, hoping that what they found out about each culture was enough of a start to convince their peoples to agree to an alliance.


	17. Flying High

I want to be flying high

Flying high with you

To go as high as my dreams will go

To always be with you

Ah, my dreams, my dreams

What do I dream about

The wind blowing in my face

And the cares I can do without

To be a great and mighty chief

Yes I would like that too

But to be one when I am ready

And then I met you

I want to be flying high

Flying high with you

To go as high as my dreams will go

To always be with you

The way your curls fly in the wind

As you ride wild and free

The way your blue eyes sparkle

When you're meeting with me

Through the skies we'll go

And over the crashing waves

I will be the mighty chief

If you'll be my lady brave

I want to be flying high

Flying high with you

To go as high as my dreams will go

To always be with you

Ah yes it took some time

But my dreams came true

We will stand side by side

Because of this love between me and you

I want to be flying high

Flying high with you

To go as high as my dreams will go

To always be with you


	18. Brave Princess

Merida had to go back to the ruins, she had a nagging curiosity to see it up close. There had been many stories told about a monster that lived there, and those who ventured too close were never seen again. Merida had often scoffed at the stories, especially since the people telling the stories claimed they had 'seen' the monster and lived to tell the tale . . . every single one of them. Now, either to satisfy her own curiosity or to prove the stories false, Merida was nearing the ruins. She had been lost for a bit, until a few will-o-wisps showed her the way, making her wonder if her destiny was waiting for her. She certainly hoped it didn't have anything to do with turning someone else into a bear. She chuckled, though it was unlikely. Angus neighed with nervousness as he slowed down, they were nearing the ruins, and he didn't seem to like it. But Merida urged him on, and he went, albeit unwillingly. The fog cleared a bit, finally, and Merida could see the ruins.

"Whoa, this, this almost looks exactly like Mor'du's castle." Merida alighted from Angus and strode forward, slowly, and carefully. When they entered what once was the courtyard of the castle, a branch snapped. Merida checked her feet and Angus', neither were anywhere near a branch or a stick of any kind. She slowly fitted an arrow to her bow and pulled it back as she glanced around for the source. It came, jumping in front of her and Angus, letting out a roar. Angus reared in fear as Merida aimed her arrow, but the black dragon didn't take another step towards them. It simply paced back and forth between Merida and the doors to the castle. Merida lowered her bow, "You're not going to hurt us, are you?" The dragon paused and glanced at her, blinking before shaking its head. Merida gasped as she returned her arrow to her quiver, "You, you can understand me?" The dragon nodded. "Are you under a spell?" The dragon blinked before nodding its head slowly. "Is there a way to break it?" The dragon nodded again before taking off for the castle, Merida quickly following. It led her up the stairs to a room, and straight to a desk where a book laid open.

"The witch told me that, in order to break the spell, someone had to spend three months in the castle and watch the battle every night without showing fear. Once those three months were up, that person had to spend three years in Berk and work hard without complaint. Why couldn't she say to do something easy like turn around three times and lick someone? Dad will be worried sick. And I can't tell him what happened, much less leave Scotland until those three months are up. But she said that was the best she could do considering another witch placed the spell on me. That, or, I could become a bear for almost good. I guess I have to take my chances, I just hope someone comes along soon to get me out of this." There the narration ended, and Merida glanced at the dragon who merely nodded.

Merida closed the book and placed it back on the dresser, "So, someone has to watch the battle every night for three months? What battle?" The dragon left the room and led her through a trap door to the lowest level. She gasped, "This is Mor'du's castle!" She glanced at the dragon, "Then the battle every night must a reliving of the battle between Mor'du and his brothers! I know that story! I'll do it! I'll stay and watch the battle for three months! But, you might have to help keep me awake, I always fell asleep whenever my mother tried to tell me the story." The dragon grumbled and rolled its eyes, but for every evening for the next five months, the dragon watched the battle with Merida. She often talked about her family and the customs of her people, and even let slip a few of her own concerns and past experiences with witches while they waited for the battle to start. She tried to learn a bit about the dragon, but she could only ask yes or no questions. And every evening, just as the sun was sinking, the battle would commence for two hours. The final day of those three months ended with something different, Mor'du saw the two sitting on the steps, watching, and approached them. With a yell, he charged, and the dragon let loose a fireball that passed through the spirit. He raised his sword to bring it down on Merida's head and, disappeared.

"Well, that was the easy part, now to try and find a way to Berk. And figure out how to explain my absence for three years, and . . . ah!" The dragon pushed her to the ground just as a fireball hit the spot where she had been standing. "What the?"

"What are you doing? You can't free him! He's a Viking!" exclaimed an elderly woman as she emerged from the shadows.

"You're the witch who put him under this spell!"

"Aye, and to keep him here, otherwise, we'd be swarming with Vikings!"

"We will be because his dad's worried about him!" Merida pointed out.

The witch shook her head, "His dad doesn't know that he's here, otherwise you would have been right. No, I placed false clues to lead them astray, they would never think to look here."

"What? But, what has he done wrong?"

"He's a Viking! They raid us, murder us, enslave us!"

"But he hasn't!" The dragon shook his head as if to agree with her.

"But he would, and his people does!" Again, the dragon shook his head.

"The Vikings on Berk are different!" The dragon nodded.

"That's what they say, that's what they all say! They're nothing but lying, murdering, thieves!" The witch shot another fireball with her wand, but the two rolled out of the way. Merida shot an arrow, but it was deflected by another fireball. The dragon's fireball just missed her, but the force of it sent her tumbling. The dragon roared and bounded towards the trap door. Merida shot another arrow before she followed. The two clamored out, and Merida jumped on its back before it bounded up towards the top of the castle.

"No! You cannot allow him to leave, he will bring his Viking tribe here!" the witch's voice echoed throughout the castle.

Merida glanced back and noticed the witch scrambling over the ruins after them, "Hurry!" The dragon whined, causing Merida to turn and notice a low-hanging arch, giving her barely enough time to duck. A couple of fireballs crashed into the arch, causing the rubble to crash down around them, but they made it dragon turned and shot a few of its own fireballs in return before continuing its ascent up the castle.

"You are no Scot, you are a traitor!" shouted the witch as she let loose another fireball. But the dragon jumped, and the two were flying over the ocean. Merida thought she heard the witch scream, but when she turned, there was no sign of her.

Merida turned and placed her face on the cool scales, "Now I've done it, she's no doubt going to tell my parents her side of the story. I mean, they won't believe her at first, but when I don't show up, they'll come looking for me." The dragon cooed reassuringly. She patted its head, "You could be right, everything could turn out fine in the end, I just hope they don't come for me until the three years are up." The dragon merely gave a low moan before the two lapsed into silence. They stopped at an island for the night, the two eating and drinking what they could. They woke up early the next morning, had a quick breakfast, and continued on. They stopped at two more islands before coming in sight of an island that made the dragon gurgle happily.

"Is that Berk?" The dragon nodded vigorously as he gurgled some more, sheer joy evident in his noises. It was getting dark when they landed, but that didn't stop the whole village from crowding around them. One man stepped through the crowd to face her, and the dragon let out a soft moaning. Merida figured this was the dragon's father.

"Who are you? And how did you get a Nightfury?"

"What? A nightfury?"

"Yes, a very rare species, we thought we had the last one!"

"A rare species? The last one?" Merida asked incredulously. "There are other dragons?"

The man nodded, "Yes, and you must have come far to not know that."

Merida grinned sheepishly, "Yes, I'm from Scotland, this is the first dragon I've seen."

"Scotland?" He paused, then continued with "Could you have seen my son? He's not much taller than you, not much older, in fact. He'd have a peg leg."

"Um, sorry, the only person I've seen with a peg leg was my dad."

"Oh."

"But, um, there are lots of other people on Scotland. Maybe one of them saw him? Though, there is a bit of a problem."

"Yeah, he's a Viking."

"Oh, actually, I was thinking of the witches."

"Witches?"

"Wait, there are real witches in Scotland?" asked a lanky blond.

"Yup."

"Cool."

"Shut it Tuffnut," hissed a blonde girl.

"The thing is, these witches do have powers. One witch can turn people into bears, my mother was one of them." Everyone gasped. "Oh, she's fine, we got her back. But, there is another witch who could turn people into dragons."

"You think she might have seen my son?"

"I think so, actually . . ." she pointed to her Nightfury.

"Wait, are you saying that Nightfury is Hiccup?" exclaimed the blonde girl.

Merida glanced at the dragon, "Wait, your name is Hiccup?" He nodded, and Merida began to chuckle.

"Wait, that's . . . is that really you, Hiccup?" asked his dad. Hiccup and Merida nodded vigorously. "What . . . how . . ."

"I think you might want to sit down, there's a lot." Merida explained everything that night over dinner, even including the fact that her parents would no doubt come looking for her, considering that they left Hiccup's notebook back at the castle. The Vikings agreed to the terms of the breaking of the spell, and helped Merida in any way to get through the three years. Toothless was ecstatic, though somewhat confused, that Hiccup had come back, in a dragon form. Merida took turns riding Toothless and Hiccup while the Vikings taught her everything they knew about dragons, even Hiccup taught her a few things. But even with all the hard work Merida had to do since Hiccup wasn't human, she was enjoying herself a lot. The years flew by, and they didn't even think about the three-year mark, until one day. Merida was out flying Toothless, Hiccup accompanying them, when the three noticed sails off in the distance. Merida urged them on for a flyover, and gasped.

"They're from Scotland! We need to get back to Berk, quick!" The two dragons raced back towards the island, the Vikings already having seen the sails on the horizon. Merida quickly explained the ships were from Scotland before she, Hiccup, Gobber, and Stoick made their way to the docks. The first people off wher Fergus and Elinor, and they wrapped their daughter up in a group hug.

"Oh, thank goodness you're safe!"

"Are you hurt in any way, lass?" asked her father.

"No, I'm fine, but, there's something I need to tell you." She explained everything to her parents, introducing them to Stoick and Hiccup, ending with, "So, I can't go back home just yet. I have to stay until those three years are up."

Elinor and Fergus glanced at each other, "But lass, it has been three years."

Merida blinked, "It has?" She glanced at Stoick and Hiccup, "But, Hiccup hasn't changed back yet."

"Well, we might be off by a day . . . Fergus, let's go ahead and stay the night, we have been traveling over the sea for quite some time."

"Huh?" Elinora gave him a look, " Oh, right, maybe that's it. Um, well, Stoick, if you don't mind having a few Scots around for the night."

Stoick shook Fergus' hands, "I don't mind one bit if it means I can have my son changed back." He turned to Gobber, "Gobber, let's go find out if we have some space for our guests." How they did it, Merida wasn't quite sure, but they had made some room for the visiting Scots, and offered not only to teach them about dragons, but also to include them in a few games. They were having so much fun that they didn't notice it at first, but it happened as the sun was setting, Hiccup began to change. The dragon skin began to melt, as it were, a bit slowly at first, but it sped up, and by the time it had all melted away, everyone was watching in shock. In a few minutes, a twenty-year-old man stood before them, all decked out in black.

"Uh, hi," he waved.

"Hiccup!" Stoick rushed forward and picked Hiccup in a bear hug.

"Dad . . . a bit tight . . ."

"Oh sorry, but I'm so glad to have you back as a human!"

"Yeah, I can tell. Oh, hi Toothless! Hey, come on, you know that doesn't wash off!" Everyone laughed, even Toothless.

"Well, now that that's settled, we Scots can leave!" stated Fergus.

"Fergus, we're still going to spend the night here!"

"Oh, right . . ."

"Maybe we could talk about an alliance between our peoples," shrugged Hiccup.

Elinor beamed, "I think that's a great idea! Fergus?"

"Oh alright. Can I get my own dragon?"

"That, I think, shall be part of the alliance. Come on!" Stoick led the talk, and the Scots stayed for a while longer. When they finally left, they had a new ally, and an engagement.


	19. Sweet Dreams (Aengus & Caer)

"Hiccup, Hiccup." He moaned as he turned over on his bed and pulled the pillow over his head. "Come on, get up." He glanced at the figure nudging him, her red curls bouncing past her shoulders, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. She smiled, "Come see me." He blinked, and the visage was gone, in her place was his mother, an eyebrow raised. "Hiccup?" He blinked some more before rubbing his eyes and sitting up in bed.

"Good morning," he yawned. He paused, his mother was watching him rather intently. "What?"

"Why did you look at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I was someone else." Hiccup blinked as his thoughts turned to the mound of red curls. "Were you having those dreams again, the ones about that red-haired girl?"

"Mom, I . . ."

She stood, sighing, "Maybe it's time for you to take a break. Why don't you take some time off and fly off with Toothless somewhere, I'll take care of Berk."

"But . . . you've never ruled a village before . . . what if . . ."

"Oh, I can ask Astrid for help." Hiccup winced at her name. "It's going to hurt for a while, but if the gods are sending you these dreams for a reason . . ."

"Mom, they're just dreams . . ."

"Of a girl you've never met." Hiccup glanced down at his prosthetic leg as he began to fiddle with it. "Maybe it's time you find out if she's real or not."

"But, what if I don't want to? What if I think what I have with Astrid is great?"

"Just go, if nothing comes of it, come back to Astrid."

"But if something does come of it?"

Valka sighed, "Just find out if she's real first, we'll take it step by step from there." Hiccup groaned as he tumbled out of bed. "Besides, she could just be visiting you because she needs help, and you could be the only person who can help."

"Well, if that's just the case, then I'll do what I can to help, but nothing more."

Valka nodded, "Then do just that."

"But I don't even know where to start looking . . ."

"You said she had fiery red hair?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Start in Scotland, they're known for their fiery hair, and the fiery tempers to go with it."

Hiccup groaned, "Great, just great. I get to play with fire."

Valka laughed as she walked away, "Don't you do that already?" Hiccup smirked as he quickly changed, she had a point there, which probably made him the best qualified to deal with any Scots. But, having a break from chief duties and getting to explore with Toothless also sounded really good, and it was an opportunity he was not going to pass up. In the next couple of days, the preparations were made for Hiccup's departure, Astrid looking none the less happy about it, especially once she found out why Valka suggested it.

"Are you serious about looking for that red-haired girl?" she grumbled as Hiccup prepared Toothless.

"Maybe Mom's right and she just needs my help."

"But what if she's wrong and that girl wants to take you from me . . ." Hiccup placed a finger over her lips.

"I'd say don't worry about it. Just, concentrate on helping Mom with Berk, please? Eret's coming in with a new batch of dragons, and you know how she gets when there's new dragons around." Astrid nodded. Hiccup sighed, "I'm sorry Astrid, but, maybe going away for a while will help. I'll be back in a couple of weeks, I promise." He kissed her cheek before climbing on Toothless and flying off. He waved, but she turned and walked away. He turned and sighed, "What am I going to do, bud?" Toothless warbled with sympathy, though he was clearly excited to be flying with Hiccup again. They flew on in silence for the most part, stopping wherever they could for breaks and nourishment. They went at a leisurely pace, allowing Hiccup time to chart the islands they encountered on their way to Scotland. It was the eve of their third day out when they reached Scotland, though they didn't know it at first. Hiccup set about getting together something of a camp for the night while Toothless had fun catching fish in the stream. The two had a silent dinner before rolling over and falling asleep.

"Hiccup, Hiccup! Listen, I need you to go to Dunbroch castle, tell my family that I'm alright." Hiccup sighed with relief, she did just need his help.

"OK, well, point me in the right direction to Scotland and we'll take off."

She eyed him, "You're in Scotland now."

"We are? How do you know?"

She groaned and rolled her eyes, "I could see you from the castle where I'm being held."

Hiccup blinked, "You're being held prisoner?"

"Well yeah! How else would I be visiting you in your dreams? Apparently this spell allows me a few special abilities since I'm the princess."

"The princess!"

"Ugh, yes, the princess. Now can I tell you how to survive a castle full of Celts?"

"Oh, yeah, that would be helpful."

"Ya think? Think you can remember everything I tell you?"

"I'd better, my life apparently depends on it."

"I hope so. Listen carefully, you are going to have to tell them that I, Princess Merida, sent you, and you are going to have to describe me."

"Um, OK." Merida rolled her eyes before continuing, giving Hiccup a few details that her parents would totally understand as coming from her, in case they still doubted him, as well as how to deal with unruly Scots and what cues to look for if a Scot was itching for a fight. She went on to give him a little bit of the history of the Scots and the clans, before explaining what happened to her.

"So, wait, you're telling me this guy, uh . . . Shea . . ."

"Seamus Allaway."

"Right, so, Seamus, got mad that you wouldn't marry him right away and had to get to know you better? So he whisks you away and makes this witch turn you into a bear until you agree?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"But, why me? Why not one of your other suitors?"

"Well, the witch said that part of breaking the spell involved creating an alliance between old enemies, so . . ."

"And since I'm a Viking, an old enemy of the Scots, I would technically be your best bet."

"Exactly."

"So . . . you're not interested in marrying me, right?"

"Well, unless you're interested in getting to know me . . ."

"Aren't I doing that now?"  
"Oh, uh, right." Merida turned her head away. "What's she like, your girlfriend?"

"What . . . how?"

"You've mentioned Astrid several times. You wouldn't exactly call your mum by her first name, would you?"

"Oh, uh, no . . ." Hiccup grinned sheepishly.

"So, what's she like?" Hiccup sighed and began to talk about Astrid before asking Merida who she was interested in. Merida admitted she wasn't particularly interested in any of her suitors, sweet as they could be. The two talked some more of other things before Merida had to go, and Hiccup had to wake up. After breakfast, Hiccup and Toothless immediately set out for Dunbroch castle, Hiccup's heart feeling light. Merida just needed his help, was all, simply because they had to forge an alliance between their peoples to break the spell! He was in pretty high spirits, so high that he and Toothless almost flew past Dunbroch castle. But he remembered everything she told him to do and say, and her people welcomed him with open arms, for the most part. Her parents were just happy to receive news of their daughter, explaining that she had been missing for well over a year. Once Hiccup explained that an alliance between their peoples was necessary to break the spell, they immediately set about putting together a pact that would please both Scots and Vikings. Once it was complete, Hiccup and Fergus signed it, and the two led a group towards Allaway castle.

"Why, Fergus! What a surprise! You'll have to excuse the disarray, I would have cleaned up had I known you were coming!" laughed Seamus. The dark-haired Scot was sitting down at his dining table, clearly having just sat down for dinner.

"Where's Merida?" growled Fergus. Seamus paused in wiping his mouth and glanced over the group before his eyes alighted upon Hiccup. Hiccup thought he saw anger flash over the Scot's face before disappearing into a cool demeanor.

"Now, what makes you think I know where the princess is? It's been, what, a year? How much more do you think I know now than then?"

"You knew this entire time, you bloody scoundrel!"

"Now what makes you think that?"

"Merida sent us a message, you kidnapped her!" Seamus' gaze instantly went to Hiccup's face.

Hiccup stepped forward, "Well, you seem to have no problem picking out the messenger." Seamus let out a low growl as he rose from the table.. "So, you do have the princess. Release her, and we'll be on our way."

Seamus let out a cruel laugh as he walked towards a side door, "I'll let you take her, that is, if you can find her." He opened the door, and various bear growls reached their ears.

"Oh no." Hiccup rushed towards the door followed by the Scots. "How many are there?"

"A hundred," Seamus answered nonchalantly.

"What? Why? Are they all people turned into bears or . . ."

"Women, they're all women who've been turned into bears."

"Why?"

Seamus grabbed a hold of Hiccup's shirt, "Because I'm not going to give up the princess that easily." Toothless began to growl. Seamus yelped and let go of Hiccup when he saw the dragon.

"That's . . . that's . . ."

"My dragon, Toothless, and no, you can't have him. Come on bud, let's go find Merida." The two dashed through the door, and were met with about a dozen bears chained to the ground. They just stood there, watching him, as if they were unsure of what to think of him. Hiccup cleared his throat, "I'm, uh, we're here to save you, but in order to do that, I need to find the princess! Can you show me where she is?" Several of the bears nodded in one direction. "Thank you!" Hiccup dashed down the path, other bears showing him where to go next, before one nodded towards the bear next to her. He didn't need the indication, though, for some reason, he knew who it was when he saw her. "Merida!" The bear's head snapped up at Hiccup's voice and garbled some noises. Hiccup ignited his sword and slashed through both bears' chains, the bear forms dissipating as the links fell to the ground. Hiccup gasped when he saw the other woman, "Heather! What? How?"

"There isn't much time to explain, there are both Scottish and Viking women here. We have to free them all." A loud roar interrupted them.

"What was that?"

"Seamus," blurted Merida as she glanced at Heather with fear.

"What?"

"He can turn into a giant bull. I have to find Windshear!"

"And I need my bow! Hiccup, you need to free as many of these women as you can!"

"What? Ugh, fine! Don't bother with telling me anything!" Hiccup mumbled as he set about freeing the others from their chains. He had cleared a path back to the door, the women taking off as soon as the chains fell to the ground. He turned to walk back into the room when a blast of hot air breezed by him. He turned, there stood quite possibly the largest bull he had ever seen. He yelped and began to run, "You could have told me he was on fire!" Toothless let loose a couple of fireballs as Seamus rammed through the door. The fireballs slowed him down a bit, but it was long enough for Hiccup to clamor onto Toothless. "A couple more, bud!" Toothless let loose a couple more before the two took off, grabbing Merida on the way. "What do we do to stop him!"

"I don't know!"

"You don't know! What do you mean you don't know? You've been in this castle for over a year!"

"Yeah, well, it's not like Seamus told us every single thing!" Toothless turned and let loose a couple of fireballs, the force of it slammed the bull into the wall. The bull bellowed as he got up and clamored after them. But he was back into the wall.

"Heather! Windshear!" exclaimed the two.

"I think I know his weakness. Merida, you're going to have to shoot into his mouth!"

"What?" exclaimed Merida.

Hiccup gasped, "Like a dragon!"

Heather nodded, "Yes! We'll try to get you an opening, be ready!"

"Right!" Merida exclaimed as she dismounted Toothless. She placed her hand on Hiccup's making him look at her. "Be careful." He nodded before he and Toothless took off to help Heather and Windshear. Merida readied her bow, and watched as the four battled the bull, her heart pounding in her chest. She pulled the arrow to her cheek, and waited for the right moment. There were a couple of times that the dragons and their riders got Seamus to open his mouth, but he quickly closed it, not even giving Merida a chance to release her arrow. Twice, Seamus came close to hurting both Hiccup and Heather, and Merida wanted to scream, but the dragons acted quickly and protected their riders. Once, Merida let go of an arrow, it only Seamus' side before burning up to a crisp. Finally, Merida saw her chance, and released the arrow. It flew, and it seemed that Seamus had closed his mouth just in time, but Toothless bit him right then, and his mouth opened a bit. It wasn't very wide, but it was enough that the arrow entered. With a moan, Seamus died, and the five regrouped.

"How, how did you know to shoot into his mouth?" asked Merida as the other panted.

"I snuck into his secret room and read the stone tablet, it explained how to kill him."

"And that's when he caught you."

Heather nodded, "But he didn't know that I had read it, it looked like I was just entering the room when they captured me."

"Why did you even come here?" asked Hiccup.

Heather nodded at the women heading for the door, "Several of them are Vikings, several of their tribes asked me to investigate, and my investigation led me here." She glanced at Hiccup, "And when Mer told me about how to break our curse, I told her about you. She found that she could contact people in their dreams, and the rest you know."

"Well, that explains everything."

Merida nodded, "But now we need to free the rest of the women."

"Right." It was a fairly easy task, there weren't that many left to free. The five walked back into the dining room once the last ones were freed.

"Oh no, I forgot!"

Merida glanced at Hiccup, "Forgot what?"

"Merida!"

"Dad!" Father and daughter joyously hugged each other. "Your leg!"

"Aye, but it could have been worse. Mind making me a new peg leg, lad?"

Hiccup chuckled, 'It would be my pleasure." The group made their way back to Dunbroch castle, where they just about collapsed from exhaustion. Hiccup helped Heather return several of the Vikings home, but for the most part, she took care of it while he talked some more with the Scots about the pact and dragons. He also found himself spending quite a bit of time with Merida, finding her company to be quite pleasant. As he and Heather made their way back towards Berk, Hiccup realized that a very important choice now laid before him. But the more he thought on it, the more clear his choice seemed to be. In fact, he almost couldn't wait to propose, to have her rule at his side.


	20. How to be Brave

Hiccup grumbled as he walked through Scottish countryside, going as far as he could away from the castle. He needed a break from his dad, from Gobber, from everyone. They were always telling him what he was doing wrong, what he had to do, that he had to change. He didn't want to change, see, he liked being himself, he liked inventing things for his people, he liked building them, he liked having some peace and quiet. Sure, he was the scrawniest boy in the clan, and he could fight, but he really didn't want to. He liked talking things out, he liked finding solutions to problems through communication instead of war. What was wrong with having a few allies, a time of peace? Why did being brave mean facing one's foe in battle without running in the other direction? He grumbled some more before he had to pause, there they were again, the wisps. He saw them on his walk last night and ignored them for the most part, but now, maybe he should follow them, let them lead him to his destiny. He let out a huff, as long as it meant that things might change in Scotland for good, then absolutely. But there was only one way to find out, and Hiccup followed the trail of the wisps. They disappeared as he got closer to each one, but he had seen them close enough to think that they were kind of cute, for something supernatural. He followed them to a ring of stones, the last one fading away as the stones came into view.

"What? Why would . . ." He paused, he thought he heard something.

"Well, Toothless, what do you think?" Hiccup ducked behind one of the stones as the female voice laughed. "No, no, I don't think they used this to scratch their armpits, I think they'd be a little too small for that. Maybe as part of a rock-climbing competition?" Hiccup heard a snort and a huff. "Oh come on! Well, maybe we just have to ask them." He peeked around the stone, there stood the blackest dragon he had ever seen, the first dragon he had ever seen. The girl with the dragon looked to be about his own age, her fiery red hair pulled back into a braid, her brown Viking outfit making her sky blue eyes pop. The dragon paused and sniffed the air, causing Hiccup to duck back behind the stone, hoping against his worst of luck that the wind wasn't traveling in that direction. "Hello?" Hiccup glanced up, she was standing over him, looking right at him. He yelped as he jumped up, the dragon quickly stood between the two, growling.

"Toothless! Stop it! This is his land, technically, we're trespassing!"

"Uh, uh, yeah, you're right, you technically are trespassing," stammered Hiccup.

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to explore for a bit, see something new."

"Oh, yeah? Where are you from?"

The girl shrugged, "A little island north of here called Berk. It's not exactly the best, but it's home, and having the dragons do help." She smiled warmly at Toothless. Toothless nuzzled her as she petted him.

"Wow, uh, having a pet dragon must be a lot of fun."

"Mm-hmm, you wanna say hi?"

"Uh, may I?"

"Of course! Toothless, be nice." The dragon huffed, but he nudged closer towards the Scot. Hiccup paused and simply out out his hand, palm up. Toothless blinked, and touched his nose to the palm. She gasped, "Why, you're good at this!"

Hiccup blinked, "But, I only just put out my hand!"

"But that's just it! You have to earn the dragon's trust, and you just did the best thing to start!" she grinned.

"Really?" She nodded. He turned to Toothless, grinning, "Great!" He petted Toothless some more.

She chuckled, "He likes ya. You wanna go for a ride?"

Hiccup lit up, "Really?"

"Sure, come on!" She climbed on and helped him get on Toothless. "Hang on!" Toothless took off, and Hiccup whooped for joy. He could so see himself doing this a lot, he was having so much fun! More fun than he had had in a long time. He soon learned the girl's name was Merida, and she was the princess of Berk, basically, just like he was the prince of Scotland. After their little flight, Merida and Hiccup parted, promising to get their families to meet so they could forge an alliance. Even though Hiccup did have quite a bit of work to do on the Scots, he promised he would get through. Not only did he want to ride a dragon, and maybe even have one, he also wanted to see a pair of blue eyes again.


	21. Dragon Rider (Eragon)

Hiccup rushed out of the nest Toothless had been sleeping in, the black dragon not far behind him.

"Chief Alvin, what's going on?" he asked.

"Ugh, it's happening, Dragon Rider! Drago's forces are breaking through!" Alvin pointed at the far wall of the castle. Drago's forces were almost through.

"Ready your bows, don't fire until you can be certain you've got a shot!" Hiccup and Alvin were soon joined by the fiery-haired girl.

"Princess, do we have a chance?"

"A slim one, but a chance nonetheless," she replied.

"What do you need me to do?"

"First off, stop calling me princess, just Merida will do. Secondly, you are the beacon of hope they need, a rallying point. They will follow you anywhere."

"So that means . . ."

"You stay here un . . ."

"What? But . . ."

Merida shook her head, "No buts, they need you Hiccup, we need you. We are all trained warriors, we've had years of training, you have had only, what, a couple of months?" Hiccup glanced down, that was definitely true . . . especially after . . . but Hiccup shook the thought from his mind.

"But there has to be something I can do! Something we can do!" he indicated Toothless. "We can't just sit back and watch!"

"You won't." Merida sighed and placed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Hiccup, you're the only one who can defeat Drago, you and Toothless, we can't risk losing you."

"Besides, there's still Viggo to consider. He's the one leading this army," pointed out Alvin.

Merida glanced at him in shock, "How do you know?"

"My scout woke up not too long ago and told us. He was wounded by Viggo's hand, but he was allowed to live, I think, in an attempt to spread fear and panic among our forces."

Hiccup glanced at Merida, "All the more reason for me to stay in the back, huh? Keep up my strength to fight him?"

Merida pursed her lips before letting out a sigh, "I guess it's inevitable. Drago might be hoping that Viggo will destroy you, as you're technically the only one who can fight him." Hiccup nodded, Merida almost died when she tried to take on Viggo. He glanced at Toothless, it was because of her that they met, and he was grateful for that.

"Chief, they're in!" The three glanced at Astrid before turning their sights towards the wall.

Alvin muttered, "So it begins."

Merida turned to Hiccup, "Stay back for now, do not engage until you see Viggo, understand?"

Hiccup nodded firmly, "Yes."

She took his hands, "Good, be safe." Then she and Alvin followed Astrid towards the battlements, barking out orders.

Hiccup turned to Toothless, "Alright, bud, you heard what she said, we're going to have to keep an eye out for Viggo." Toothless nodded, determination in his eyes as he flexed his wings. It started, the shouts and clanging of battle reaching their ears. Hiccup clenched his teeth as he tensed up, he understood why they wanted him back, but he wanted to be there, helping them. He and Toothless alone could take out half the army! But he made himself stay, he had to focus on taking out Viggo, Viggo could take out half of their army just as easily as Hiccup could take out half of Drago's. He let out a nervous breath, the screams from the battle were getting louder, and more frequent, and he couldn't tell which side was winning. He could barely make out Merida's, Astrid's, and Alvin's voices among the chaos, rallying the troops and barking out orders. A sound made him pause, his heart beating near to panic, that was Viggo's voice, loud and clear, calling for him.

"Hiccup, you coward, show yourself!" Toothless nudged Hiccup forward. Hiccup nodded, and the two walked out. "There you are, Dragon Rider, cowering while everyone fights?"

"You know exactly why they didn't want me to fight," Hiccup retorted.

Viggo smiled cruelly, "Ah yes, so you could face Drago. But . . ."

"But you're here to make sure that never happens."

"You still got it, Hiccup. Man, I like you, you know that? You're very intelligent, and I like that the most. Are you sure you don't want to join Drago's army? You could rule the world together with him."

"What about you?"

Viggo shrugged, "I actually like being the General, Drago knows my strength is strategy. I can put it to good use as the General."

"So, you're satisfied with being in second place, third place if I were to join?"

"Would you?" asked Viggo, clearly unphased by the attempt to turn him against his king.

Hiccup unsheathed his sword, "No."

"Too bad, you might have liked it, I certainly admired you, but, at least now I'll have the honor of killing you myself!" With that, Viggo charged, and the two clashed again and again, their swords ringing over the clamor of battle. A few of Viggo's men joined them to help their general, but Toothless left Hiccup's side to keep them at bay, soon joined by Merida. The battle between Hiccup and Viggo intensified, both using magic to get the upper hand, but neither got the upper hand, until Viggo played a dirty trick. He psyched Hiccup into going up while he went down, and Hiccup's left leg was severed from his body. Hiccup cried out in pain, alerting Merida and Toothless to his distress, and the two charged Viggo, pressing him back. Gathering what strength he had, Hiccup rose and aimed his sword for Viggo's chest.

"Breain!" he shouted, his sword burst into flame as he charged, pinning Viggo to the wall.

"How . . ."

"I wasn't going to let you win," replied Hiccup before he pulled his sword out. Viggo slumped to the ground, dead, while Hiccup fell back, quickly losing consciousness due to lack of blood and being weakened by use of magic.

"Hiccup!" called out Merida as she and Toothless caught him. He saw their worried faces fade into black before completely losing consciousness.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, come to me, come see me in Dunbroch." Hiccup's eyes slowly opened and found himself lying under some soft blankets in Toothless' nest. He moved slowly, still waking up, when he remembered the fight between him and Viggo, and his leg. He pulled back the blankets, and found a metallic peg leg had been attached to his thigh to replace the one he lost. He let out a sigh, they did a fair job, but it was going to need some tinkering, a lot of tinkering. A low humming interrupted his chain of thoughts. He glance around, there was Toothless tucked away in one of the corners, sleeping. Hiccup smirked, more like snoring away. He slowly and carefully stretched, so as not to wake the dragon, before slowly changing. Having to take everything slow worked for him, considering he was having to get used to a new leg. Once he finished changing, he grabbed a stick and walked out slowly, leaning on it. Upon reaching the lower levels of the city, Hiccup found there was a lot of hustling and bustling. Banners were being put up, and walls were being rebuilt. A young child noticed him, revealing his presence to the rest of the people. Many crowded around him, ready to give him a helping hand. He only asked that he be shown to Chief Alvin, and what was going on.

"We're throwing a party!" exclaimed his guide, a girl of about eleven. Her brother, a lad of fourteen, nodded.

"Thanks to you, we don't have to worry about Viggo anymore, and soon, Drago!" he grinned. Hiccup chuckled, only thanked him before falling into silence and concentrating on getting to Chief Alvin quickly. The children led him straight to city hall where Alvin and Astrid were holding a meeting.

"Hiccup!" they exclaimed and just about rushed him. Gothi stepped in to keep them from running him over.

"What are you doing out of bed?" berated Astrid.

"Well, Eret's out of jail, why can't I be out of bed?" joked Hiccup.

Eret chuckled, "Except you need to heal, I've proven my trustworthiness to them."

Hiccup grinned and took Eret's hand, "So, they're treating you well?"

Eret shrugged, "Better than before. But Astrid's right, why are you out of bed?"

"It's important, isn't it?" whispered Merida.

Hiccup nodded, "I-I heard a voice in my head, telling me to go to Dunbroch, to find her."

"Who's her?" asked Alvin.

"I-I don't know, I thought that maybe Princess Merida could help me."

"Well, it is true there are still a few people who practice magic in Dunbroch who could very well know a lot about dragons and their riders. But as for who this person is, well, I don't really know, but I can help you look for her."

"Thank you, Princess," Hiccup smiled.

"But first, you need to finish healing, can't have you tripping over yourself in front of my people."

"Well, that's settled. But, before you leave, he must learn some more about my people. With everything that's been going on, he hasn't had a chance!"

Merida nodded, "Very true. Shall we begin?"

Alvin bowed, "With pleasure, if you will follow me." He led the way out, all of the outsiders getting to learn about his tribe. But Hiccup began to wonder where his fate would take him from there, though, he hoped that, one day, it would include a pair of sky blue eyes and fiery red curls.


	22. A Day Without Duties

It was that day again, the day where all royal duties were thrown on the wind as the sun rose. Merida rose bright and early, eager to enjoy the day. She practically danced out of the castle and leapt onto Angus before he galloped off. She let out a whoop as they raced through her archery practise, hitting each target with ease. She let out another whoop as her arrow embedded itself in the last target. She spurred Angus on, the two tearing through the trees, hair flying in the wind. She and Angus paused for a quick breakfast before taking off again. Their destination, the cliffs, and upon arrival, Merida began to climb. Upon reaching the top, she drank from the waterfall before sitting down to carve on her bow. The carving began to look like a Celtic dragon when a sharp sound echoed through the air, causing her to glance up. A black figure was swooping in towards her position. She let out a squeal and waited for the figure to get closer before closing her eyes, and dropping off the cliff. The air blew all around her as she fell, until she was caught by a pair of arms.

The visor went up, "What were you thinking, Merida?" Merida just kissed him.

"I fell in love," she smirked.

"Ha ha, less literal and more figurative next time please."

"What? I knew you'd catch me."

"Only because I was having a heart attack!" She kissed him again.

"Sorry."

"No you're not."

"Mm, maybe," she smirked before they went in for another kiss. Toothless interrupted the moment with a garble.

Hiccup sighed, "Alright, alright, we'll land." They landed near Angus, and Merida led the way towards the river where she caught fish for Toothless. With their pets happy, both rolling in the grass, Merida and Hiccup could sit back and enjoy the day.


	23. Brave Defenders (Avengers)

"That's enough!" shouted Dagur as he slammed his fist down on the table hard, making sure it was loud enough that it got everyone's attention. Everyone stopped arguing long enough to glance at him. "Please, you need to listen to us! Viggo will stop at nothing until he rules the world and has every dragon under his command!"

"Oh yeah, how can we trust you?" asked Tuffnut, crossing his arms. He and his twin glared at Dagur and Heather.

"We, we don't know how we can prove our honesty to you," replied Heather. "Especially since we were working with Viggo. But please, you have to listen to us. We know what he's going to do. If you don't stop him . . . no one else will be able to."

Elinor leaned on the table, making eye contact with Dagur. "And you want us to bypass our laws and attack first? No, diplomacy must come first."

"Yeah, he knows," snapped Dagur. "And he knows how to work your system, your majesty, he's been studying it for the past year, looking for any and all loopholes. If there are any, and based on his reactions in studies, I'd say there are, he'll find them and use them to his advantage. And you don't have time to study your own laws the way he did. He's planned this perfectly. You will have only one choice, either let him win through diplomacy, or fight him. He's betting on winning either way, but if you send out the Defenders, there's a chance that he can be stopped once and for all." Dagur straightened up and crossed his arms, never breaking eye contact with Elinor.

"Mother, maybe we should listen to them," suggested Merida.

"Your daughter's right, we should listen. This might be our only chance to take him down," said Hiccup in agreement. He turned to Dagur and Heather. "Will you fight alongside us, become a Defender yourself?"

"What? Hiccup! Are you mad?"

Hiccup turned to the queen. "Your majesty, with all due respect, I decide who joins my team, not you. I am Chief Berk, remember?"

"Yeah, but she does have a point, Hiccup, we can't exactly trust them," pointed out Tuffnut.

"Well, at least, we don't trust them," quipped Ruffnut, indicating herself and her brother.

"Well, maybe it's time we should. I mean, they did risk capture by coming here to warn us," Fishlegs pointed out. "I think it would be a great honor to have you on our team."

Heather smiled. "Why, thank you Fishlegs." Fishlegs smiled back at her.

"I agree," said McGuffin in his thick accent.

"I do too," said Dingwall.

"Alright, I guess I do too," said Snotlout with a sigh, though he then winked and grinned at Heather. Heather merely rolled her eyes.

"Well then, I guess we are in agreement. Welcome to the team," said Astrid with a smile.

"Hey, we didn't agree!" blurted Tuffnut.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ruffnut. "Neither did MacIntosh!"

MacIntosh merely shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

"Oh?" asked Ruffnut.

"Yeah, so, I guess, yeah, welcome!"

"Oh, well, if that's the case, yeah, welcome!"

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" whined Tuffnut.

"I am! But if MacIntosh doesn't mind, then neither should we."

"Ugh, fine. Welcome to the team," mumbled Tuffnut.

Elinor let out a sigh, "Very well, so we trust them. For now."

"Your majesty, if I may?" Elinor nodded at Hiccup, indicating him to continue. "What if we set a trap?"

Elinor glanced at him questioningly. "How so?"

"Viggo doesn't know that you two came to us, did he?" Hiccup quickly asked the siblings.

Dagur shrugged, "I don't know, but he probably suspects it."

"Well then, why don't we proceed as planned?"

"Uh, in English, please?" asked Tuffnut.

"We bait Viggo, with diplomacy."

Merida let out a gasp, she was catching on to his idea. "And once he thinks he's winning, we fight him! He'll be taken off guard!"

Hiccup nodded, "Exactly."

"Unless he's already thought of that move," mumbled Dagur.

"But it's the best idea we've got at the moment. We'll definitely need a few backup plans. Viggo is very smart; not only could he have thought of every move we could make and the counter moves, he's also willing to lose a few men to win."

"He's thinks you're all soft because you aren't willing to 'make a few sacrifices'," muttered Dagur.

Hiccup's face hardened. "Well I'm sorry I put so much more value on life than he does."

"Yeah, especially if Viggo decided to kill everybody, there wouldn't be anyone left for him to boss around," quipped Tuffnut. Everyone glanced at him.

"He does have a point," Ruffnut chimed in.

Hiccup let out a sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Right, well, we've got some dragons to get ready, and a few backups to call in."

"If you will see to the preparations for the attack, I'll get in contact with Viggo," said Elinor.

Hiccup nodded, "Sounds good, your majesty, good day. Let's go team, we have a couple of new Defenders to equip."

"Right!" the others chorused before they filed out of the room. Hiccup took up the rear, his mind going deep into thought. If Viggo was as smart as they said, how would they be able to defeat him?

"Hiccup!" The voice jostled him out of his thoughts. Turning around, he saw the fiery red hair of the princess billowing behind her as she dashed towards him.

"What is it, Merida?"

"So, you let two practically brand new, wee little lambs onto your team, but not me?"

"Merida, we already discussed this . . ."  
"Yeah, sure, I'd just be ground support . . ."

"Merida . . ."

"I'm your best shooter! Give me a gun, or a bow and arrows, and I can keep you guys covered from anywhere!"

"I can't lose you too!" Hiccup's outburst, along with him grabbing her shoulders, stunned Merida into silence. "I, I already lost my dad, OK? I don't want to lose you too."

"What makes you think I want to lose you? When, when the report came in that a Defender had, had fallen . . . I was scared, Hiccup, scared that it had been you. I'm sorry that it was your father, and it hurt to see the pain in your eyes, but, he gave his life for you. Don't put that sacrifice to waste." She placed her hands on his face as the pain came through again. He took one of her hands and brought it to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss upon it.

"I'm doing my best not to. And that's part of the reason why I don't want you out there with us, I'd become so worried about you that I could leave myself open."

"Hey, being part of a team means having each other's backs. And I can take care of myself."

Hiccup snorted. "Yeah, and I know what that looks like."

"Say what?" Merida removed her hands from his face and placed them on her hips.

"I mean, after all, I don't think the Queen of England would agree to be one of your references."

"Hey! That was thanks to the twins, and you know it!" she blurted as she swatted at his arm. He merely snickered all the louder. The next thing he knew, her hands were on his face again, and the two met in a kiss. "I love you," she whispered when they broke apart.

"I love you too."

"Now can I be on your team?"

"Ugh, Merida!" he mumbled.

"Please?" The two looked at each other for a few minutes, Hiccup's face trying to keep stern while Merida shot him her best puppy eyes.

"Oh, alright," he finally said with a sigh.

"Yes!"

"But for this first mission, I need you to stay with your mother and be our eyes and ears."

Merida grabbed his hand as the two began to finally walk down the corridor. "Alright."

"And you . . ."

"Hiccup! I know what to do! I've been training alongside your entire team for the past two years, I know!"

"Alright, alright, you're right, you do know. Welcome to the team, Mer, I'm sure everybody will be happy you're on board." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Especially Astrid. Now, let's go find ourselves a few plans that should hopefully stump Viggo."

"Right." The two quickened their pace to catch up to the others, and to prepare for the inevitable battle.


	24. Amazing (Hardy Boys)

Hiccup tossed and turned in his bed, trying to fall asleep, but the clue, the note, was seared in his mind. What did it mean? What was Viggo saying? He let out a breath, turned over, and tried to go back to sleep, but the note was too forefront in his mind for him to be able to relax. Heaving a soft groan, so as not to wake up Jack, he rolled out of bed, walked over to the desk, and turned on the little lamp. He shot a glance at his brother to make sure that the noise hadn't woken him before pulling out the slip of paper they had found. He knew the words by heart now, but there may yet be a clue on the paper itself. His eyes rushed through the now familiar words on the paper.

"The black Dragon that would fill the night with fury shall be in place when the sun sets on the day of thunder." He let out a soft huff before turning to examining the paper, front and back. Was there a secret code somewhere? A certain way to read the message? Or was there another message hidden on the paper? Something that wasn't invisible ink since he and Jack went through every single variation they could think of for invisible ink last night. What else could there be?

"The black Dragon that would fill the night with fury shall be in place when the sun sets on the day of thunder," he muttered. He kept coming back to the message, it had to be in there somewhere, but apparently only members of Viggo's ring knew the code. Maybe if he worked on it bit by bit? Figuring out what day of thunder meant was probably more important as it would at least give him a clue to when the theft is supposed to happen. So, day of thunder . . . a thunderstorm? No, that didn't quite sound right, the next few days were supposed to be clear, and the theft would happen by the end of the week. So, what else would the thunder be referring to? A lot of noise? A movie? Well, movies were out, if Jack had anything to say about it. Then what? His mind went back to his last encounter with Viggo, in which he got clean away, thanks to the help of his gang. Hiccup had let him go, he had threatened Merida and Jack if Hiccup didn't comply with his demands. He had no choice. Yes, Merida and Jack weren't in immediate danger, but Viggo had his ways and would have followed through. Hiccup knew that much. But Viggo's final words came roaring into the front of his mind.

"You're no Norse god, Hiccup, so don't even bother."

"Norse god?" Hiccup had asked, but Viggo was already gone. "Norse god?" he asked again, at his desk, understanding beginning to dawn on him. "Norse gods!" he whispered excitedly. "Of course, day of thunder, Thor's day! Thursday!" He glanced at the calendar by the desk and nearly fell over. Today was Thursday! The theft was going to happen at sunset! Hiccup's eyes raced back to the paper, but, theft of what? "The black Dragon that would fill the night with fury," he muttered. "Why is dragon capitalized? Unless . . . it's a name!"

"A name of what?" mumbled Jack drowsily. He leaned on the desk as he rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn.

"Jack! Oh, sorry if I woke you . . ."

"Nah, you're fine, I just woke up and heard that last bit. So, name of what?"

"Jack, we need to contact Chief Alvin right away. I figured out the the theft is going to take place at sunset, today!"

"Say what?"

"It's not evident at first glance, but, think about it. Do you remember when Chief Alvin kept asking us about the Norse gods pertaining to this case?"

"Uh, yeah, that's what got us into it in the first place."

Hiccup picked up their book of Norse gods and flipped it to Thor. "Jack, day of thunder is Thor's day. Thursday!"

Jack's eyes widened as he grabbed the book. "You're right! And today is Thursday!"

Hiccup nodded. "Exactly, this is going to happen at sunset."

"But what about that part about a name?"

"The D in dragon is capitalized, and . . ."

"And you usually only do that for a name!"

"Exactly."

"But, what would be named Dragon?" asked Jack, scratching his head.

"What if it's a jewel?" Hiccup whispered as his eyes widened, understanding beginning to dawn on him yet again.

"Say what?" Hiccup didn't reply, only dashed out of the room, Jack on his heels. The two bounded down the stairs.

"Oh, good morning, Hiccup, Jack! Breakfast will be ready . . . boys?" Their mother peeked out of the kitchen when the boys zoomed past the kitchen and into the living room. Hiccup practically pounced on the newspaper and flipped through it.

"Ah-ha! Jack, this is it!"

Jack let out a sharp gasp followed by a low whistle. "No wonder why we didn't think of it!"

"Uh, would you two mind explaining what's going on?" asked Valka as she joined them in the living room.

"Hiccup figured out Viggo's plan!" began Jack.

"He's going to strike at sunset . . ." said Hiccup.

"Today, because it's Thursday, Thor's day!"

"And he's going to steal the Dragon Eye Opal!" finished Hiccup, showing their mother the black opal in the newspaper.

Valka's mouth dropped open before she said firmly, "You'd better inform Chief Alvin and your father immediately."

"Wait, Dad's not here?" asked Jack as Hiccup rose from the sofa.

Valka shook her head, "No, he left early this morning for the office. They're probably racking their brains right now for the answer. You'd better phone them now."

"On it!" they shouted as they bounded for the phone. Hiccup picked up the phone and quickly dialed the number. It was quickly answered by a tired voice.

"Chief Alvin Terrebone's office, Alvin speaking."

"Chief! It's Hiccup!"

"And Jack!"

"We figured out the clue!"

"You did what?" came Alvin's voice over the receiver, sounding much brighter already.

"Yes! Hiccup figured it out!" exclaimed Jack.

"Hold on a second, I'm putting you on speaker." They heard some movement before Alvin's voice came back on, sounding a bit different, though they knew it was because of the phone being on speaker. "Your dad's here, what don't you tell us what you figured out."

"Wait, what did you figure out?" asked their father.

"The clue!" the two chorused.

"Start talking," their father said.

"Should I give you the whole story, or just the answer?" asked Hiccup. Their father did like to know the full story of how they came to their conclusions, but if time was of the essence.

"How about a summary, or a quick run-through?" Hiccup let out a grin at the answer, Mr. North was certainly interested.

"Well, I couldn't it out of my mind, so, early this morning, I decided to take a second look at it."

"We ran all our tests for invisible ink last night, so we know there was nothing else except that message," quipped Jack.

"Right, so I got to thinking about what day of thunder could mean. Was it weather, a movie, what? But nothing I thought of made sense. But then I got to thinking about what Viggo said right before he slipped my fingers. He had mentioned that I'm not a Norse god."

"Yeah, the main reason why you got into this mess, since your mom is such an authority on Norse mythology and was out of town at the time," quipped Alvin.

"We know," replied Jack.

"Anyway, that got me to thinking about the Norse gods, and I remembered, the god of thunder, so, the day of thunder is Thor's Day, or as we know it better as, Thursday!"

"Good job Hiccup! So the theft is going to happen at sunset today!" blurted their father, the pride evident in his voice.

"Great! But, what's he supposed to be stealing?" asked Alvin.

"The Dragon Eye Opal!" chorused the brothers.

"Say what?" asked the two men.

"Read the note again," suggested Hiccup. "Notice anything?"

"Um . . . the black Dragon that would fill the night with fury . . . uh."

"Why would the D in dragon need to be capitalized?" asked Hiccup.

"Unless it was a name!" blurted Jack.

"And the catchphrase of the Dragon Eye Opal is that 'its black streak is so black it could fill the night with fury'!" their father exclaimed.

"Right!" the brothers chorused.

"Good job you two! I knew I could count on you!" exclaimed Alvin, his voice sounding so much more chipper than when he answered the phone.

"Thanks!" they replied.

"Though, it was mainly Hiccup," quipped Jack, beaming with pride at his big brother.

"We're going to set up a plan for the museum where the Dragon Eye Opal is going on display. You two meet us here for lunch."

"Um, what about the girls?" asked Jack.

"What about them?" asked Mr. North.

"Should we tell them?"

"No! This will be too dangerous!" blurted Hiccup.

Jack eyed him. "Uh-huh, right, like detective work isn't dangerous at all. Just admit, Hiccup, Viggo threatened Merida's life, didn't he?" Hiccup gulped. "Just as I thought, probably add myself to the equation for good measure. But, need I remind you, dear brother, that Merida Brown can take quite good care of herself? I've got the bruises to prove it." Hiccup replied with a nervous chuckle.

"I do think we should let them know of the developments, they have been a great help to us on this case, as always."

"Yeah, as always," mumbled Hiccup. Jack stifled a knowing grin.

"But I do agree with Jack, they can handle themselves, they have solved as many cases as you have, and just as dangerous. I think it's only fair that they help us see it through to the end."

Hiccup let out a sigh. "Oh, alright. Do you want us to contact them, or you?"

"Contact who?" The brothers turned and yelped.

"M-Merida!" stuttered Hiccup.

"Rapunzel, Moana, Kristoff . . . just the people we needed to talk to!" Jack glanced down at his pajamas. "But, uh, not at this moment. Mom!"

Merida placed her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you forgot that we were coming over today to help you decipher the clue."

"Oh we did, don't worry about that. But, only because Hiccup already deciphered it!"

"What? You did?" asked Kristoff.

"Hiccup, Jack? Who's there?" their father's worried voice came over the line.

"Oh, it's just the rest of our team. We'll fill them in on the details, and we'll see you at lunch! Bye!" Hiccup didn't give them time to reply as he quickly hung up the phone and ushered Jack up the stairs. The two quickly changed before bounding right back down the stairs. Their four friends were sitting down at the table while Valka served.

"So, care to explain?" asked Merida, clearly upset that she didn't decipher the clue.

"Oh, we will, don't worry," quipped Jack with a grin. "But first, where are the others?"

Moana let out a sigh, "Joey's gone with his cousin on another top secret mission, he doesn't know when they'll be back, or if they need our help. And Elena's not going to be here until later, she has to get her sister to school."

"Oh, um, Elsa and Anna and got a message from Will Reckless, Jake's gone missing."

"Wait what?" the others exclaimed.

"When?" blurted Jack.

"Will said Jake was supposed to contact him on Tuesday, but when he didn't hear anything by yesterday morning, he began to panic and contacted Elsa. She and Anna booked the last flight out to his last known whereabouts, in Seattle."

"Wow, no wonder you look so worried, that's practically on the other side of the country!"

"Jack, Washington and Maine are on opposite sides of the country, not Washington and Illinois," quipped Hiccup.

"Whatever."

"Well then, let's get this mystery over with so we can help Anna and Elsa find Jacob!" blurted Merida, looking pointedly at Hiccup.

"Oh, right, well, about the clue . . ." Hiccup and Jack retold the whole story. By the time they had finished, Merida's anger had subsided.

"That was good, Hiccup, I wouldn't have thought of that," she admitted.

"Thanks Mer," replied Hiccup with a grin.

"And dad wants us all to meet them at the station for lunch. We're going to go over a plan of action for this evening, and we need to be absolutely sure what everyone is going to be doing, when, and where."

"Wait, your dad wants all of us?" asked Rapunzel.

"Well, yes, you've all been a big help on the case, and he figured that you would all like to see it through to the end," replied Hiccup.

"Wow, he does know us well," said Merida as she blinked in surprise.

Jack chuckled nervously. "Nah, just us, and how a detective thinks, being a detective himself, that's all."

"But, Elsa and Anna . . ." began Rapunzel.

Hiccup let out a sigh. "We're going to have to do it without them. It goes down tonight." At that moment, the doorbell rang.

"There's Elena!" exclaimed Moana as she jumped up from her seat. Valka was already opening the door and letting in Elena when the group arrived. "Elena, you're here!" exclaimed Moana as she hugged her best friend.

"Of course I am! Sorry I'm late, the traffic was insane! I'm just glad I was able to get Isabel to school safely, it was that bad."

"Hey, you do what you need to take care of your little sister first, mysteries can wait," replied Hiccup with a knowing smile and a knowing glance at Jack.

Elena smiled at him. "Thanks Hiccup. Now, let's get that clue deciphered!"

"Oh yeah, time to fill you in too," quipped Jack with a sly grin.

Elena blinked in surprise. "What are you talking about?" The group glanced at each other with grins before they led her into the dining room and proceeded to tell her everything that had happened in the past two hours. Her mouth was gaping and she looked at Hiccup with new-found admiration. "Wow, you . . . that was amazing! I would have never thought of that! But then again, I'm more well-versed in Latin American culture rather than Norse, like you guys and the Bukaters are." She glanced at Valka as she finished speaking, the real source of the boys knowledge.

"Right? We each have our specialty, something that helps the group out!" exclaimed Rapunzel with a wide grin.

Merida had to laugh. "That's right, Punz! We do! And we wouldn't be able to solve many mysteries without each other." She smiled at each in turn, though her eyes lingered on Hiccup. Hiccup smiled warmly in reply.

"So . . . now what do we do? Hiccup's already did the majority of the work, and it's still a few hours till lunch," pointed out Kristoff.

"I know! Let's contact Elsa, Anna, and Joey!" exclaimed Rapunzel.

"Good idea!" the others chorused. Kristoff whipped out his phone, followed by Rapunzel and Moana.

"Uh, hold on, who should we call first?" asked Merida.

"Well, when were they supposed to reach their destinations?" asked Hiccup.

"Oh, Anna and Elsa should be getting into Seattle any minute now," replied Kristoff.

"And Joey sent me a text this morning telling me they got in alright," replied Moana.

"Well then, Joey's first. By the time we get off with him, Anna and Elsa should have enough time to get to a hotel room, I hope," stated Hiccup. Moana was already dialing Joey's number before Hiccup could finish speaking. She had it on speakerphone, so everyone could hear the phone ringing.

"Come on, Joey, please pick up," Moana whispered when the phone had rung five times.

"Hello?" came a voice over the line.

"Joey!" exclaimed Moana.

"Hey Mo! Didn't I just text you about two hours ago?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, the rest of the gang wanted to talk to you as well. This is Hiccup, by the way."

"I can tell, your voice doesn't really change all that much over the phone," quipped Joey.

Jack snickered. "I keep telling him that."

"Hiya Jack! So, wait, is the whole gang there? Oh, wait! We were supposed to go over that clue Viggo's gang dropped to day! Oh man, I'm so sorry, I clean forgot!"

"Hey, it's fine. Hiccup had it all figured out by the time we arrived this morning," quipped Merida, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Really? So, what does it say?" asked Joey. Hiccup and Jack took turns telling their story. "Whoa, nice going, Hiccup!" exclaimed Joey when they finished their tale.

"Thanks!"

"How's everything going on your end?" asked Jack.

"Well, considering we just started our investigation, there's nothing to report. I mean, we got here just fine, but, my cousin's kind of worried. He said that we were supposed to meet someone at the airport, but he never showed up. And now I'm getting worried that someone may be watching us."

"Would you like any of us to head over there?" asked Kristoff.

"Not now, not until we've gotten an idea of the situation, but please be ready to jump on the first plane out to Detroit, just in case. I'll call Moana with any updates."

"Sounds like a plan," said Merida.

"Could you tell us what this mission is about?" asked Rapunzel. "Or is it too top secret?"

"Well, I can't talk about it right now, I don't have all of the information. Jay just wanted me along, I think. I hope he tells me soon. I have this bad feeling that something's going to happen to him."

"Well, I certainly hope nothing happens," said Rapunzel.

"Me neither," replied Joey.

"Hey man, since you're basically the expert on the field, have any tips on how to handle Viggo?" asked Jack.

"The biggest rule to keep in mind is, to be careful. You don't know what they're thinking, you don't even know all the time if they have a weapon. So, it's best to proceed with caution in any scenario, but always have a plan, and the police nearby."

"Oh, the police are definitely going to be nearby, don't you worry about that," quipped Hiccup.

"Good. Hey, listen, I need to go, I think Jay's coming back. At least, I hope he's the one coming, if not . . . Moana, keep your phone on stand by, please? I might have to call for back-up sooner than I thought."

"Of course, Joey! I'll be ready to head out too!"

"Thanks."

"Hey, Moana, maybe you should opt out of tonight's fiasco," suggested Jack.

Moana nodded, "Good idea. I'll head home and pack right now!"

"Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it."

"Not at all man, now go make sure your cousin's alright," said Jack.

"And stay safe yourself!" said Kristoff.

"Right, thanks again. Talk to you later!"

"Bye!" the group chorused. Both phones were hung up, and Moana practically jumped up.

"Sorry about this . . ."

"Hey, we want Joey back in one piece too," stated Hiccup as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And Moana, let us know if he calls you, alright? If we've captured Viggo before he calls you, we'll join you, if not, we'll get out there as soon as possible," said Jack.

"So, if Elsa and Anna need help?" asked Kristoff.

Hiccup let out a sigh. "I guess we're going to have to split up. Jack and I will join Moana in helping Joey, maybe he'll finally give us his number." Jack snickered. "Kristoff, you can take whoever wants to go with you to help Anna and Elsa."

"Well, I can't go, I have to take care of Isabel," quipped Elena, throwing up her arms.

"Sorry Elena," said Moana.

"Hey, maybe you can be traffic control, or center of operations, so to speak," suggested Merida.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, if the two mysteries just so happen to be connected, or we need someone who's not in the line of fire to do some research for us, then you'll be the girl for the job," explained Jack.

"Well, alright."

"Which means you have to come with us to the meeting at lunch and help us snag Viggo, you might pick up a few things that could help us later," stated Hiccup.

Elena nodded. "Sounds like a plan. As long as I have enough time to pick up Isabel from school and be back in time to help catch Viggo, we'll be good."

"Alright, now that we've got that all figured out, should I give Anna a quick call before Moana leaves?" asked Kristoff, his phone ready to call.

"Oh yes, please!" exclaimed Moana, sitting back down. Kristoff hit the dial button, and the phone rang. Like with Joey, it rang for a while, and Kristoff was getting anxious.

"Hello?" came a voice.

"Anna! It's Kristoff! Are you and Elsa alright?"

"Oh, Kristoff! We're fine. We just got into our hotel. Can't talk for long, she's anxious to get out and follow our first lead."

"Come on Anna . . . why do you have your speakerphone on?"

"Oh, Kristoff does, so I figured the rest of the gang is together. Hi everyone!"

"Hi Anna! Hi Elsa!" came the chorused reply.

"We just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing," said Rapunzel.

"Kristoff told us about Jacob's disappearance," stated Merida.

"Oh, yes, well, he's probably given you everything we already know, so, there's nothing new to report," replied Elsa.

"Besides the new lead?" asked Rapunzel.

"Yes, besides the new lead," replied Elsa with a sigh.

"Hey, if you two need any help, just let us know," said Kristoff.

"Thanks Kristoff!" exclaimed Anna.

"Though, it might only be Kristoff and a few others. Joey and Jay are off on a secret mission, and Joey is having some uneasy feelings," stated Jack.

"Oh wow, I hope the two aren't connected," quipped Anna.

"Same here, I'd be the center of operations if that was the case," blurted Elena.

"Huh?" asked Anna.

"I can't leave because of Isabel."

"Oh, right, well, it would be best if someone stayed to be the source of research, or center of operations, as you so eloquently put it," stated Anna, a smile evident in her voice.

"Uh-huh, right, such fun," mumbled Elena.

"Well, we really need to go, need to get to the bottom of this lead while it's still hot. Thanks for checking in, and we promise to give you a call if we need help!" said Elsa.

"Well, I promise, anyway. Thanks, and we'll talk to you later! Love you, Kristoff!"

"Love you too, Anna!" said Kristoff.

"Bye!" called out of the others before the phone hung up.

"Well, now what?" asked Jack, indicating that there was still a few hours until lunch.

"Well, I'm heading home to pack. Tell me how it goes!" said Moana as she got up to leave. The others wished her well before turning back to the now-practically solved mystery and going over everything that had happened. At lunch, they were sitting around a large table at the police station, with food, maps, and papers piled on it.

"So, what do you think their plan of action is?" asked Hiccup as they practically bore holes into the schematics of the museum.

Alvin pointed to a location on the map. "Well, based on the information we got from the museum, the Dragon Eye Opal will be on open display here. And I can see why Viggo thought it an ideal spot. Yes, people are looking at it, but in order for the crowds to actually move around it freely, the guards have to be positioned at the doorways, allowing them room to view the Opal. All Viggo needs to do is drop down from the ceiling, pluck the Opal from its case, and head straight back up to the ceiling. The guards won't have enough time to catch him before he gets up to the ceiling, or to nab him on his escape route."

"What about any alarms, trip wires, or any other security?" asked Jack.

"That's all ground level, no one can snatch the Opal from the ground, hence why I said Viggo will come in from the ceiling. He can grab it and be off before anyone could respond."

"Which means that we will have to make sure that we are the only ones in the room for sunset, or he'll get away for sure," remarked North.

"That means that you will have to be the group of the moment. You have the tour reserved for sunset. So, I guess you'll have to pretend you're couples going out . . ."

"Um, Viggo already knows who we are," pointed out Jack, stealing a glance at Hiccup.

Hiccup let out a sigh. "And we have reason to believe he knows who's in the group."

"Uh, OK, so, I guess you're just going to have to pretend that you don't know what's happening at sunset. Say, you know, it was your father's and my idea to get away from the mystery for a while."

"Uh, OK, but, I don't think Viggo is going to buy it," quipped Jack.

"Then go to dinner beforehand, I don't know, try something!"

Hiccup let out a sigh. "Alright, Chief, we'll go to dinner beforehand and make a date out of it."

"Um . . ." began Elena and Kristoff, glancing at each other.

"I'm going out with Anna," blurted Kristoff.

"And I'd have to get Isabel from school," stated Elena.

"OK, OK, fine, so, Hiccup, Merida, Jack, and Rapunzel go have a dinner date and you two just show up at the tour afterwards. You told me there'll be six of ya going, so I reserved six spots on the tour."

"OK, Chief, don't get too out of shape," said Jack as he raised his hands to calm down Alvin.

"Uh, wait, will there be more people on the tour?" asked Hiccup.

"We couldn't exactly do just the six of you, then Viggo would know it was a trap for sure," North pointed out.

"Alright, fine, the four of us will head out to dinner, and Kristoff and Elena will join us for the tour. Anything else we should know?" asked Hiccup.

"Yeah, stay as close to the Opal as possible, without drawing too much attention to yourselves. You need to be close enough to nab Viggo, or whichever henchman he sends down."

"Right," the six chorused with a nod.

"Well, I think that's it. We'll have a couple of policemen positioned within the museum along with the regular guards, and the rest of us will be surrounding the museum. It looks like we have a pretty good plan. I suggest we all head home and get ready for this evening. We're going to need all of our wits about us," stated North. The group nodded and voiced their agreement. The couples promised to meet up at the restaurant at four, as sunset was around six at that time of year. The group left the station and went home for little rest before the two couples met up at the restaurant. Though, upon arriving, Jack began to groan. Rapunzel asked him what was wrong.

"Those two," he mumbled, indicating Hiccup and Merida. "Now that we've made it official between us, they seem even more reluctant to make themselves official!"

Rapunzel let out a snort before leaning into his arm. "Well then, we're just going to have to work harder to get them to make it official."

"Oh, and I have a feeling that our parents and the sheriff are in on it too. I think this whole dinner date was set up by Chief Alvin and Dad to get them closer together."

"Well, shall we help it along?" suggested Rapunzel with a grin.

Jack grinned back. "I like how you think."

"You wouldn't be going out with me if you didn't."

"Touche." Their grins got bigger before they started snickering. They helped along the blatantly obvious budding romance as best as they could during dinner, but as soon as they made their way towards the museum, all bets were off as the mystery took precedence. Kristoff and Elena met them at the front doors of the museum before the group went in to be ready for the tour. The group attempted light conversation, but the same thought kept running through their minds. Would Viggo fall for the trap? Jack and Hiccup noticed right off the bat the police officers stationed inside the museum, but they made no sign of recognition and focused on the tour. The tour itself was the history of opals, where they came from, how they were formed, information like that. Hiccup found it somewhat intriguing, especially the part about how fire opals in particular were typically associated with dragons due to their fiery colors, and the array of colors as well. Before long, they were heading towards the cream of the crop of all opals, the Dragon's Eye. Hiccup shot a glance at the window before they entered the room, the sun was beginning to set. It was going to happen soon. But upon seeing the Dragon Eye, everyone gasped with amazement. It was certainly breathtaking, what with its black streak surrounded by greens, blues, purples, and reds in a fiery blend. Hiccup was quite taken back by it, so much so, that he found himself subconsciously imagining it around Merida's neck, thinking it would look so lovely set against her fiery curls and sky blue eyes.

"There is in fact a legend concerning this particular Opal. It was said that whoever held this Opal in their hands as the sun sets on the day before Yule, that person would rule over every dragon in the world!" stated the guide.

"But dragons aren't real!' scoffed one of the guests.

"That's what you think, but I'm not going to take any chances," quipped a voice. Everyone turned to look for the owner of the voice before Hiccup and Jack glanced up. There was Viggo, being lowered from the ceiling like a spider, and almost as quickly. A woman noticed him and let out a shriek, causing the other guests to enter into a frenzied mayhem to get out of the room.

"Guys, now!" shouted Hiccup as he led the charge towards Viggo. The group rushed forward, shortening the distance rather quickly, but it was Hiccup who reached him first and grabbed a hold of the Opal. The two grappled with each other for the stone as it was flung from their grips. "Jack, the Opal!" shouted Hiccup as he noticed the stone heading in the direction of his brother. Jack quickly caught it as Kristoff rammed into Viggo, sending him and Hiccup tumbling onto the floor. Alarms were blaring by now, and a woman was screaming about the Opal being stolen. Viggo threw off Kristoff and landed a punch squarely in Hiccup's stomach before going after Jack. But by that time, Merida had caught up with him, grabbed his arm, flung him onto the ground hard enough that it knocked the wind out of him, and unclipped the rope, his only escape route by then. The guards and the officers rushed into the room and clapped handcuffs on Viggo.

"Whoa," muttered Kristoff.

"She always amazes me," quipped Hiccup.

Jack scoffed as he returned the Opal to its case. "Yeah, that's the reason why you've never asked her out." Hiccup shot him a glare, but Viggo interrupted it.

"Well, guess you outsmarted me this time, Hiccup. But I will win next time!" he shouted as he was being dragged out the door.

"Considering where you and your gang are going, I very highly doubt that," quipped Alvin as he and North entered the room.

"Good job, all of you!" exclaimed North as he grabbed his boys and pulled them into a great big bear hug.

"Thanks dad!" they chorused.

"That was some quick thinking on your part, Merida. Good job!" stated North as he shook hands with the female detective.

"Thank you Mr. North, I'm just glad I was able to reach him in time, and that it actually worked!"

North let out a chuckle. "Well then, it's a good thing it did, otherwise, we'd have to deal with him outside the museum. And let me tell you, that would not be fun."

"Yeah, his men would have actually known what to do besides run around in a panic," quipped Alvin. The others chuckled.

"Ahem, excuse me, Chief, but, I thought you should see this," interrupted an officer.

"Ah, thank you Simmons," stated Alvin as he took the paper. All three Norths glanced over his shoulder, but it was Mr. North who uttered a shaky gasp. Hiccup and Jack glanced at each other. Was their father afraid of Drago Bludvist? Alvin quickly rolled up the paper. "Well, that's a problem for tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate!" The gang cheered before following the men out of the museum. But Merida and Rapunzel learned from Jack and Hiccup in whispers what was on the paper in Alvin's hand and knew, another mystery was just around the corner.


	25. Hiccup Haddock (Zak Storm)

Hiccup panted heavily as he pushed his legs to continue down the path. He was running out of time, and fast. He shot a quick glance at the setting sun, only an hour or so left of Leif Erikson Day. Would he be able to defeat Drago with enough time to get to the portal and return home? Otherwise, he'd have to wait until another portal opens up and hope to get to it in time, or wait for another year before this one opened up again. He glanced at another spot in the woods, he really hoped this would work. He came to stop at a hill to catch his breath. Just a few more feet, and he would soon be facing Drago. He just hoped everyone else was alright. How could he have been so stupid? He literally left them open to Drago's attack in his frantic search for a portal to take him home. He gritted his teeth and continued forward, he needed to take care of Drago, once and for all. In a matter of minutes, he had reached the enormous cave, but what he saw within nearly twisted his gut in anguish, though he would describe the pain as more akin to being kicked, rather hard. He had found the rest of his crew, Princess Merida of Avalon, Eret the Viking, and little, spunky Gustav, all in cages hanging from the ceiling, at a perfect height for a large dragon to simply open its mouth and torch them, or, in Drago's case, freeze them. Hiccup had to keep himself from glancing to the side, anything to keep Drago from suspecting that the final member of his crew, the friendly, lovable Toothless, was waiting for Hiccup's signal. Hiccup the sword at his side and let out a breath before walking into the cave.

"So, you did come after all," said Drago, rather surprised.

"Hiccup! What are you doing? You can't let Drago have the Dragon Sword!" blurted Merida from her cage.

"I can't let him hurt you either!" Hiccup shouted back, his hand on the hilt of the sword.

"So, you have decided that your friends are more important to you than going home. But now, you have to decide if keeping that sword from me is more important than their lives," said Drago as his large dragon reared up behind him. As Hiccup thought as he watched it rise with dread, the cages were at the perfect height, just in range of its mouth.

"How about a duel?"

Drago glanced at him questioningly. "What?"

"A duel, until the first one loses their sword. If you win, you keep the sword. But if I win, you and your dragon have to leave these islands, never to return. Either way, you will have to let them go." Drago stroked his beard as he sized up Hiccup. Hiccup knew the answer before he spoke since he began to grin.

"Deal. But, I'd like to add one more thing to my prize pool."

Hiccup gulped. "W-what?"

"I get to kill you."

"No!" cried out Merida.

"In exchange for your friends' lives."

Hiccup replied through gritted teeth, "Fine."

"Good." With a roar, Drago unsheathed his sword and charged. Hiccup barely had enough time to unsheath the Dragon Sword and block Drago's attack. He let out a yelp as Drago pushed down on the swords. That was clearly Drago's plan, win by sheer force. He was bigger and clearly stronger than Hiccup. But Hiccup had found out not too long ago, in fact, that being smaller was great, because you had brains to go with it. That was Hiccup's plan, to outsmart Drago. And he needed to put his plan into action, now. Hiccup pushed back as hard as he could, his muscles screaming with the attempt. Once he had pushed up Drago's sword enough, he dropped and quickly crawled under Drago. Drago let out a growl as he turned to bring his sword down on Hiccup.

"Hiccup, look out!" shouted Merida. Hiccup rolled, Drago's sword missing his head by mere inches. Hiccup rose quickly and took the opportunity to strike. But Drago quickly brought his blade up, blocking Hiccup's sword. The two paused for a minute as they glared at each other, Drago's hate seething in his eyes, before the two got into a flurry of swinging blades. The battle intensified, the clashing of metal against metal was the only sound that could be heard as Hiccup's crew watched mesmerized as the two kept swinging and blocking, parrying and thrusting. Hiccup had to sidestep Drago's blade a couple of times, but for the most part, he was holding his own rather well, which seemed to surprise Drago. But that allowed Hiccup to stay on the defensive, which let him lead Drago on, getting him into a position that would let Hiccup win.

"You've gotten pretty good," said Drago as he paused for a breath. Hiccup was glad for the pause, he was sweating and panting hard.

"Well, I have been practising," returned Hiccup before Drago rushed him again.

"That won't save you!" he shouted as he brought up his sword for a strike. Hiccup blocked it. His eyes widened as an evil smile grew on Drago's face. "Nor your friends." He glanced at his dragon, which began to open its mouth.

"No! Toothless, now!" A black streak zoomed into the cave and a ball of purple fire blasted the giant dragon.

"No! That's cheating!" blurted Drago.

"And you weren't?" quipped Hiccup before striking at Drago. Drago parried the attack, but he only growled in reply to Hiccup's question. While the two continued their sword fight, their dragons took up their own fight, Toothless keeping the larger dragon's attention on him so it wouldn't freeze up the cages. The large dragon, however, was finding it hard to keep up with Toothless. As Hiccup had figured, Toothless' smaller body gave him an advantage that the sheer force of the larger dragon didn't have, and could fly around it, attacking it quickly before it could turn its head to effectively retaliate.

"What are you doing? Fight him!" shouted Drago as he swung wildly at Hiccup's head. Hiccup ducked and stepped to the side, the blade missing him by inches. But he came back with a well-aimed kick at Drago, which tossed him to the side. The kick surprised Drago so much that he managed to lose his sword. "No!" shouted Drago when he realized he had lost, according to the rules laid down by Hiccup. He let out a growl as he crawled towards the sword, but Hiccup reached it before him and picked it up and aimed both swords at Drago.

"You lost, Drago, now, you and your dragon must leave, and never come back."

"Is that so? Very well," muttered Drago as he rose and walked towards his dragon.

"Toothless!" called Hiccup as Drago neared his dragon. Toothless landed next to Hiccup. "Go free the others, bud." Toothless gave a snort and licked Hiccup's face before heading towards the cages, releasing Merida first before heading towards Eret.

"Now!" yelled Drago. Everyone glanced at him, his dragon's mouth open as wisps of steam formed around its mouth.

"Hiccup, look out!" screamed Merida.

"Oh no!" yelled Hiccup. Toothless let out a cry as he left the two and rushed to Hiccup's side, getting there as a wall of ice formed around them.

"No! Hiccup, Toothless!" called out Merida as she rushed towards the ice as Eret freed Gustav. She pounded on the ice. "Hiccup! Toothless!" She turned to Drago, rage burning in her eyes. "You, you monster!"

"Merida!" called out Eret. She glanced at the ice, a blue glow was emanating from within. Merida quickly backed up.

"What the?" began Drago before the ice exploded. Toothless was glowing. He looked at Drago and his dragon and let out a mighty roar. He was not going to let Drago hurt his friend. He let out a fireball at the two, the force of which was so strong it sent them tumbling.

"Drago! I suggest you leave now, or I'll let Toothless finish the job!" Hiccup shouted, right as Toothless shot off one of the larger dragon's tusks. Drago let out a roar as Toothless sent out another fireball, catching both him and his dragon in the fire. Hiccup saw Drago say something to his dragon, and the two practically slithered away.

"I will be back, Hiccup! The Dragon Sword will be mine, and you will be dead!" shouted Drago before they disappeared.

"Alright, Toothless, that was awesome!" shouted Gustav as he hugged the Nightfury.

Merida turned to Hiccup. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you?"

"Better, knowing the two of you are alright." She took him by surprise by pulling him in for a kiss, though he quickly overcame his shock and kissed back. Toothless warbled as he grinned at them, sharing knowing looks with Eret.

Gustav interrupted them with, "Well, it's about time." Eret and Toothless laughed as the couple separated from their kiss and glanced at them.

"Well, I mean, I can't exactly become king of Avalon, I still want to go home and . . . the portal! Toothless, quick!" Hiccup climbed on Toothless and the dragon soared out of the cave, speeding towards the portal. Hiccup could still see it, but watched with panic as it began to close, and fast. "Come on, bud!" Toothless put on speed, shortening the distance fast, but the portal was closing even faster. "Come on! No!" The two were just mere inches away when the portal snapped shut. Hiccup let out a groan and a yell of frustration. "Come on, bud, let's head back to the crew." Toothless warbled sadly as he turned and flew back to the cave. The crew rushed forward to meet them as Toothless landed and he dismounted.

"We're sorry, Hiccup," said Merida, wrapping him in up in a bear hug.

"Yeah, man, sorry," echoed Gustav.

"You did try," said Eret, placing a reassuring hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"It's alright. We can always look for another portal. And if worse comes to worse, we'll just have to make sure to get back here next year."

"Well, by then, you'd have at least visited Avalon at least once," stated Merida with a smile.

"You think we should head there?" asked Hiccup.

Merida nodded. "I've been away from home too long myself. Maybe my mother knows of another way."

"Well, that sounds like a plan. Alright everyone, back to the ship!"

"Woohoo!" exclaimed Gustav as he bounded towards the ship harboured in the cove just below. Eret followed him with a laugh, before turning and shooting a grin and a wink at Toothless. Toothless grinned back and bounded after the two, leaving Hiccup and Merida to take up the rear.

"So, um, about earlier, seeing as how that's the main reason why they left us some space," pointed out Hiccup. Merida let out a giggle before pausing and pulling him in for another kiss.

"I love ya, Hiccup Haddock the Third, and I'm sorry you didn't get to go home, but, I did kind of wish that you'd stay just a bit longer."

Hiccup wrapped his arm around her waist as the two began to walk down the hill. "Well, maybe staying here a bit longer won't be that bad, not with you lot keeping things interesting." He grinned at her as she chuckled. He pulled her in for a kiss. "I love you too, Princess Merida of Avalon. And maybe, just maybe, you could convince me to stay for good," he said upon breaking up the kiss.

"I'll take that challenge," said Merida with a smile and kissed him again.

"Come on you two! We're happy you two have finally realized that you're in love, but, we need to go!" shouted Gustav. The two laughed.

"We're coming!" Hiccup shouted back. The two continued on walking, joining up with their friends and getting the ship back out to sea, heading off for new adventures.


	26. Dragon Games (Dragon Drive)

Hiccup glanced at the building, nervousness and excitement battling it out in his chest. He was excited, and grateful, that Fishlegs had told him about the new multi-player game, it was about dragons. He and Fishlegs had been fascinated with dragons since they were little and collected as much as they could, as well as playing any kind of dragon game. But Hiccup was also nervous, and though part of it had to do with the fact that the game could only be played in special arena, meaning he would have to be near people, the majority of it came from the possibility of being near one person in particular. The sounds of voices drawing nearer interrupted his thoughts. He dashed around the corner and slowly peeked around to see who it was. He let out a romantic sigh, there she was, Merida Dunbroch, captain of the archery team, president of the Tough Girls club, fighter for justice and against bullying, just an all-around awesome girl, and the girl Hiccup had the biggest crush on. He had had a crush on Astrid, until Merida walked into their lives. And now, she was walking towards the very building Hiccup had been about to go into, flanked by Astrid, Heather, Crista, and the twins.

"So, what's this game about?" asked Merida. "I'm not going to enter that building until someone finally tells me," she stated as she crossed her arms.

"Ugh, fine, we'll tell you," Astrid said with a huff as she crossed her arms.

"It's about dragons, mainly," replied Tuffnut.

"You duel it out with other players," piped up Ruffnut.

"At the end of the tournament, you get a prize," said Crista.

"It varies from year to year, but it's usually a basket of goodies and a gift card to the mall," finished up Heather.

"Happy now?" asked Astrid.

"Oh, fine. But just one game. I have to get back to the club room and take care of some things."

"We know," quipped Astrid as she practically pushed Merida towards the building, Heather, Crista, and the twins following close behind. Hiccup peeked around the corner and watched them usher Merida into the building. Hiccup counted to ten before following, Fishlegs would come out looking for him if he didn't get into the foyer soon enough. As he figured, his crush and her group were leaving the front desk when Hiccup entered. They hadn't seen him yet, but Fishlegs noticed him and waved him over to the front desk.

"I figured you were waiting for Merida to come through first. You are such a gentleman," quipped Fishlegs.

"Ha ha, very funny. So, are you going to introduce me to this dragon game of yours, or not?"

"This dragon game is called Dragon Tournament. They assign you a dragon, you train him or her, and you pit your dragon against other dragons until one person rises victorious! It's a lot of fun, really."

"Uh-huh. Remind me why I'm here again?"

"Today they're trying out something new, they're doing teams! And I really, really want you on my team, Hiccup!"

"Because no one else will?"

"Well, not exactly, see, Zak and Crogar are on the team too, we just needed a fourth team member," replied Fishlegs.

"Oh, I didn't know you roped Zak into it."

Fishlegs chuckled nervously. "Yeah, it's a long story."

"Fishlegs!" came a voice from the hall. Their friend Zak Storm came huffing into the foyer. "Oh good, you're here, Hiccup. Hurry it up, it's about ready to start!"

Fishlegs let out a shriek. "Um, excuse me, ma'am? Can I get Hiccup's card?"

"Say what?" asked the woman.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I mean, miss, may I have Hiccup Haddock's card? Please?"

The woman rummaged around on her desk. "Ah-ha, here it is. Have fun, boys!" she said as she gave Fishlegs a card with a dragonesque logo on one side.

"Thank you so much!" Fishlegs quickly handed off the card to Hiccup before basically pushing Zak and Hiccup down the hall. He let out a another shriek when they heard an announcer counting down from fifteen. "Where are our seats?"

"Follow me!" said Zak as he led the way through the large room filled with four-seater tables, the majority of which were filled.

"Zak! Fishlegs! Hiccup!" called out a boy as large as Fishlegs as he waved them over.

"Oh, thank you Crogar!" exclaimed Zak as the three made a dash for the table, each sliding into their seat as the announcer said four.

"Just . . . made it," huffed Zak.

"Yeah, no kidding. We would have been eliminated for sure if we didn't make it in time!"

"Please insert your cards into the slot on the table, and we can begin," came the announcer's voice. The four slid their cards in and four small screens popped out of the table.

"Whoa! This is nice!" quipped Zak as he looked over his screen.

"Yeah, real nice," echoed Hiccup. The next instance, dragons were popping up on the screens as well as the large screen in the middle of the room. There were exclamations of awe and disappointment as dragons were being assigned to players. Crogar was the first at their table to get a dragon.

"Hey, I've got a Wyvern!" he exclaimed.

"Nice! This is excellent! Wyverns are great at attacks! This is already starting to look good!" exclaimed Fishlegs. "Oh, oh, oh! I've got my dragon! Welcome back, Meatlug!"

"Meatlug?" asked Hiccup.

"You named your dragon Meatlug?" asked Zak.

"Oh yes, she loves her meat!"

"Go figure," mumbled Hiccup.

"She's a Gronkle, so I'll be more on defence. Oh, look, Zak, you're getting yours!" Everyone watched with baited breath as Zak's dragon appeared on his screen.

"Uh, a Boneknapper? Really? I get a skeleton dragon?"

"Actually, that's one of the fiercest dragons of all! This is perfect! You and Crogar can be offensive, and Hiccup and I are defensive!"

"But I haven't gotten my dragon yet," pointed out Hiccup.

"Here it comes now!" said Fishlegs with a squeal.

"Fishlegs, could you turn down your enthusiasm, like . . ." Hiccup paused, trying to think of a good number.

"Eighty-five percent," said Zak.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Um, that looks really tiny, almost like a garden or a common dragon," said Fishlegs as Hiccup's dragon came into view.

"Hey, I can compare my dragon's size to yours!" blurted Zak. He pushed a button and their dragons were side by side. Everyone gulped.

"What? Why?" whined Hiccup.

"Oh man, that is, that is a rather small dragon, Hiccup," said Zak, almost apologetically.

"That has to be a common dragon, it's too small to be anything else! Though, I haven't heard of many common dragons that are black. You must have a rather rare dragon, Hiccup!" exclaimed Fishlegs.

"Oh, yippee," muttered Hiccup.

Someone laughed. "It's small and wimpy, just like you, Hiccup!"

"Be quiet, Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted at his cousin. But a few others began to join in the laughter and Hiccup began to slump. Zak gave a little growl and was about to stand when the announcer's voice came over the P.A.

"Everyone, please be quiet. You were given your dragon for a reason. Now, everyone has been assigned a dragon, please turn to your screens and begin to train your dragon!" There were a few cheers before total silence seemed to reign as everyone turned their attention to training their dragons.

"Hey, Hiccup, are you alright?" asked Zak in a whisper.

"Snotlout is always picking on me," Hiccup whispered back.

"You've got to stand up to him one day, man. Maybe, maybe this is why you've got your dragon, maybe it has some great potential that only you can unlock."

"Hey, what are you going to name your dragons?" whispered Fishlegs. The two glanced at their screens, a bar ready to take a name.

"Well, since mine is a skeleton and my first thought is pirates, I'll name mine . . . Corsair." The name appeared on the screen.

"Yeah, well, mine looks pathetic so I'll give him a less-mean sounding name, like . . . Toothless." Zak shot him a look. "What? If he is a special type and takes us all by surprise, well, the name will take our opponents by surprise."

Zak looked impressed with that line of thinking. "That's an idea. I guess so, if you're set on that name."

"Definitely. His name is Toothless." The page with the names disappeared, and the training commenced. It only a took a few minutes, but by the time training was over, Hiccup was nowhere near closer than when he started.

"What is up with your dragon, man?" asked Zak as he glanced at Hiccup's progress, or lack thereof.

"I don't know! He doesn't want to do a thing! The lazy little . . ."

"Training is over! Let the tournament commence!" came the announcement. "However, if you do not think your dragon is ready or would just like some more time to train, please head to the special training room, the door on the other end of the room. All team members are welcome to join their teammate in the training room. Please be sure to take your cards with you. We will hold your place, so have no fear about that. Good luck!" Snotlout's laugh could be heard.

"Well, looks like that's the place for the Loser team!"

"No, we're not the loser team! We're just the special team!" Zak shouted back.

"Oh yeah, what makes you so special?"

"Hiccup's dragon! It's a rare that needs extra training, that's all!"

"Zak!" hissed Hiccup as he jumped up and began to nudge him towards the door.

"Don't forget your cards!" blurted Fishlegs as he quickly took them out for Hiccup and Zak. The two took their cards from Fishlegs and walked towards the training room, Zak shooting a glare at the chuckling Snotlout as they passed him by. But they made it to the training room door fairly fine, as everyone else's attention was drawn towards the tournament. Crogar, having reached the door first, opened it and let his teammates in, closing the door behind him.

"Huh, so, the training room is at the end of this hallway?" asked Crogar.

Hiccup scratched his head. "Uh, I guess so? I hope so. I don't know where else to go."

"Well, come on, let's go get that special dragon of yours trained," quipped Zak as he led the way down the hall.

"Yeah, a real special lazy dragon," muttered Hiccup with a sigh as they walked down the hall.

"Hey, I wanted to train some more with Corsair, so, let's do this! With more training, we can beat all of them, even Snotlout!" cheered Zak with a grin.

"I'm glad you're so enthusiastic," muttered Hiccup.

"Hey, come on, we're a team! Snotlout always tries to do things by himself," stated Zak as he patted Hiccup's shoulder.

"You mean like you?" asked Crogar, he and Fishlegs snickering. Hiccup glanced at Zak with a grin.

"Uh, you, uh, mean like I used to. Come on guys, give me a break! I was the new kid and trying to act all cool!"

"And totally blowing it," quipped Fishlegs between snickers.

"Well I didn't completely blow it, I met you guys, right?"

"I think that's the one thing we all agree on," quipped group arrived at another door.

"Alright Hiccup, ready to whip that lazy little dragon into shape?"

"Just like we whipped you into shape?" quipped Hiccup as he crossed his arms. Zak grinned and chuckled nervously before pushing open the door. Within was nothing more than a white room with card slots dotted throughout the walls.

"Uh, OK, so, we just put our cards in and we get personal big screens, or something?" asked Zak.

"Well, let's put in our cards and find out," suggested Hiccup as he slid his into a slot. The other three slid theirs in next to his.

"OK, nothing's happening," mentioned Zak as he glanced around and scratched the back of his head in confusion. "Is it broken?" A beam activated and a white light filled the room. The four teens closed their eyes and waited a minute before peeking to see if the light was gone, and yelled instead.

"What the?" exclaimed Hiccup tugging on his clothes.

"We're in Viking clothes now!" exclaimed Crogar.

"That's not the worst of it! We're not even in the special training room!" exclaimed Zak. And he was right, they weren't surrounded by white walls dotted with card slots, they were surrounded by blooming trees, green grass, and birds singing!

"What? What? Where are we?" exclaimed Fishlegs.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." The boys glanced over, and yelled again. There was Merida, Astrid, Heather, and Crista, all in long, flowing medieval dresses, Merida was in a green dress, Astrid was in a blue-grey dress, Heather was in brown, and Crista was in purple.

"Have you seen anything that could give you a clue?" asked Fishlegs hopefully. Though he only asked the question simply because Hiccup was going into panic mode.

"You mean outside of the fact that we somehow changed into ancient people clothes?" asked Zak, pulling at his red shirt and black vest. "And I don't know about the rest of you, but I want my cargo pants back."

"Uh, how's that for a clue?" asked Crogar, pointing up. There was a Boneknapper heading straight for them! It let out a roar. The teens screamed and began to run, but the Boneknapper overtook them in a matter of minutes and landed in front of them.

"It's going to eat us! It's going to eat us!" exclaimed Fishlegs as he covered his eyes with fright.

"Well, don't just stand there! Start running!" exclaimed Heather, grabbing his arm. But they came to a screeching halt as dragon after dragon landed, surrounding them.

"Wait a second . . . Meatlug?" The Gronkle just panted and grinned before giving Fishlegs a big lick.

"So, wait, this is Corsair?" asked Zak, glancing up at the Boneknapper. The Boneknapper seemed to purr before it licked Zak.

"Then this must be Freya!" exclaimed Crogar.

"Stormfly?"

"Windshear?"

"Caspian?" Crista asked the Hobblegrunt dragon.

"Caspian? Why'd you name your dragon Caspian?" asked Zak.

"It's one of the seven seas," replied Crista.

"Oh, right," replied Zak going back to petting Corsair and keeping an eye on the overly lost-in-romantic-thought Hiccup. Crista's father was a wealthy merchant, often nicknamed the "king of the seven seas".

"So wait a second, where's my dragon?" asked Merida.

That seemed to snap Hiccup out of his romantic thoughts for him to realize the same thing. "Hey, where's mine?"

Zak leaned in and whispered, "Maybe her dragon is going out on a date with yours."

"Oh shut up. Highly unlikely. My dragon's too lazy to go on a date." A low chirp-like sound caught their attention. Hiccup found the source rather quick, it was a black common dragon. "Toothless?" The little dragon let out a meow-like sound, as if to say yes, and bumped Hiccup's hand with his nose.

"Aw! Seeing him up close now, he's really cute," stated Zak as Hiccup picked up the little dragon. "Nothing against you, Corsair, but, the smaller ones tend to be cuter, while the bigger ones tend to be awesome." Corsair let out a soft purr, as if to agree.

"Aw! He so is!" exclaimed Crista as she came over to pet the little dragon. "What did you say his name is?"

"Uh, Toothless."

"Well, I guess it suits him. But really, Stormwatch, Windshear, Meatlug? Do you guys have any imagination whatsoever?" asked Merida. "Corsair's nice, Zak."

"Thanks Mer."

"And Toothless works for yours."

"Um, uh, thank, thank you." Hiccup began to blush.

"Keep it together, man," Zak whispered.

"I'm trying! I can't help it if she's so awesome!" he whispered back.

"But really, Mer, where's yours?" asked Crista.

"I don't know. Toothless let us know where he was, but, I haven't heard another sound. Nor do I see another dragon coming in." Merida paused. "I'm getting worried. Everyone's dragons came looking for us, but, mine's not here. And I know she would be. Something must have happened."

"And you'd be right," said a voice.

"Ah! You're the desk lady!" shouted Zak, pointing at the woman standing not far from them, who somehow appeared out of nowhere.

"You can call me by the other nickname the kids have for me, the old witch, because, technically, I am one."

"You're a real witch!" they exclaimed.

"No, you're dreaming. Of course I'm a real witch! What did you expect? A fake witch? And these dragons are just figments of your imagination? Pretty solid figments." The teens chuckled nervously. "Now come on, there isn't much time, and I have a lot to explain."

"Oh, you better believe it," muttered Zak as the group began to follow her. She led them around the bend to a cozy cottage and let them in. The dragons, except Toothless, had to stay outside as they were all too big, but the witch left the door wide open. "Alright, start explaining," stated Zak as he crossed his arms.

"Weren't we just playing a game?" asked Fishlegs.

"How did we get here?" asked Astrid.

"Will you let me start explaining, or are you to keep wasting time by asking the very questions I was about to answer?"

"Sorry," they mumbled.

"Please, go on," said Crista.

"Thank you. Now, yes, you were just playing a game, but the game is a front for a portal between your world and this one, the game is a virtual reality version of this world, though the dragons still know what's going on. We send messages to them to let them know. Which is how they knew where to find you, I told them where you were going to be since I brought you here."

"But, why us?" asked Zak.

"And why now?" asked Fishlegs.

"There is an ancient prophecy that spoke of the king of dragons finally returning one day and, with the help of children from another world, would defeat the usurper Drago. He destroyed the last great king of the dragons with his Alpha, and we have been living under his tyranny ever since. A few of us have been able to work in secrecy to find you, but only a few of us actually know about Earth, and if Drago ever found out . . . it's best if you keep that a secret."

"So, can you tell me where Morrigan is?" asked Merida.

The witch sighed. "Unfortunately, yes, Drago captured her. She and Toothless are the last of the Nightfuries, I made them look like common dragons so that they could pass undetected by Drago's men, but, apparently someone figured out the rise and has captured Morrigan in the hopes that the king of the dragons will go save his queen."

"Oh man, I'm sorry Toothless, I thought you were being lazy when you were just worried about your girlfriend."

"Whoa, so I wasn't too far off," whispered Zak.

"Sh!"

"So, will you help us? Will you save Morrigan and topple Drago's tyranny?"

"Could we get home if we said no?" asked Zak.

"It would be hard to, considering the portals are technically under Alpha's command, but there are a few that they don't know about. It's a long journey from here."

"Well, if we have to be stuck here for a while before we can get back home, then I suggest we save Morrigan and topple Drago on our way home."

"Sounds like a plan to me," said Hiccup. The others agreed.

"Though, if you take out Drago really quick, you could get home even faster," pointed out the witch.

"There's that too," stated Merida.

"Well, that's why I said it's all on the way home. We'd have to take him out either way," stated Zak.

"Good point," said Crogar.

"Well then, let's get started on a plan," said the witch as she unrolled a map and introduced the teens to the world of the adventure of a lifetime.


	27. Eight Dragons (Hakkenden)

"Toothless!" called out Hiccup. The little Nightfury landed in his hand and promptly shifted into a sword that ignited into blue flames. He aimed it at the man standing in front of him. "Let her go," he growled. Viggo pulled on Merida's hair, pulling her closer to him, the knife pulling closer towards her throat. Merida groaned, the pain of her hair being tugged coupled with her straining against the rope around her wrists, was making her frustrated.

"Come, come, Hiccup, you know what I want. Bring me all eight High Dragons, and I'll let her go. Simple as that."

"Is it?" asked Hiccup. He had fought Viggo far too many times to not know that he would have a backup plan, and that he didn't keep promises.

"As if," muttered Merida. Viggo shot her a glare before answering as if she wasn't there.

"Of course I'll let her go. Wouldn't do me any good to kill her if I needed to make another wish, now, would it?" Hiccup let out a low growl. "So, what's it going to be, Hiccup? Are you going to gather the High Dragons together and grant my wish, or must I slit your pretty girl's throat?" He tugged on her hair again, resulting in a yelp out of her mouth.

"Don't worry about it, Viggo, we're here," came a voice from behind Viggo. Viggo glanced over his shoulder, there stood the other seven holders of the High Dragons, Eret, MacIntosh, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Dingwall, MacGuffin, and Dagur. Astrid, Heather, and the twins were standing more to the back, but they had their dragons out and ready if their friends needed back-up. "So, what's your wish, Viggo?" asked Dagur, arms crossed as he glared at him. "Though I must remind you, it cannot be just anything you want, the power to grant wishes is limited, hence why all eight High Dragons must be present."

"Oh, it's simple, really, I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Drago Bludvist." The teens blinked.

"Who?" asked MacIntosh.

"Uh, Dagur, should we be worried?" asked Hiccup.

"Who is Drago Bludvist?"

"An old friend. I just heard recently that he was wounded in a battle and went into hiding, no one knows where he went. I just want to find him, check up on him." The group eyed Viggo suspiciously. "What? Can't a guy have a few friends?"

"Oh, a guy can have a few friends, I just don't see you being the type," quipped Dagur.

"You're right, I don't have many, which is why I need to check up on Drago, he's technically the only person I would consider a friend."

"And you had to threaten Merida's life to do that?" asked Hiccup.

"Would you have listened to me any other way?"

"He kind of has a point," muttered Dagur.

"So, what will it be . . ."

"Fine, we'll use the High Dragons' power to help you find your friend. But you let Merida go first."

"Hiccup," began Viggo as the knife got very close to Merida's neck. She let out a whimper before gritting her teeth.

"No, he's right," interrupted Dagur. "You have to let her go, because if she's in the circle with you, the Dragons will get confused as to whose wish they should grant. They can only grant one wish at a time, remember?"

"Make the circle first, and then I'll let her go."

"Fine," muttered Hiccup as he nodded at the group. The holders of the eight High Dragons circled Viggo and Merida, the weapons shifting back into their dragon forms, ready to spring into action.

"Good, thank you," said Viggo with a smile before practically throwing Merida to the side rather hard. Dagur caught her before she hit the ground. Astrid and Heather rushed forward and grabbed their friend, pulling her to safety behind them and the twins. Hiccup gritted his teeth before shooting a glare at Viggo. He was going to get him, but not today, today they had made a deal, though Hiccup had a very bad feeling about it and knew that Dagur shared the same feeling. But in the next second, the eight Dragons began to glow their respective colors; blue, red, green, gold, silver, orange, purple, and bronze. Beams of light emanated from each dragon's tiny body and merged above Viggo's head before the blended white light descended on him. Viggo closed his eyes as the light enveloped him, the power reading his wish and granting it. When the light dissipated after a few minutes and Viggo opened his eyes, he smiled almost evilly.

"Well, thank you, my wish was granted, I have my friend's location. See you around," he remarked casually before walking away coolly. But not before pausing by Hiccup on his way out and whispering, "Next time, my real wish will come true, and all eight High Dragons will be mine." Hiccup's eyes widened, but before he could do or say anything, Viggo was making his escape.

"Hiccup!" Merida rushed into his arms. He pulled her close and smelled her apple shampoo, relieved that she was safe.

"What did he say?" asked Dagur worriedly as the others joined them.

"Did he really wish to find his friend?" asked Eret, looking at Viggo's escape route like he was about to follow him, despite Viggo having had a good enough of a head start at that time.

"No, he did wish to find his friend," said Hiccup hoarsely.

"Then what did he say to you?" asked Astrid.

"That he'll get his real wish later, to gain control of all eight High Dragons," Hiccup said through clenched teeth, his anger seething to the point that if it could be physical, it would be boiling.

"And his friend, Drago Bludvist, or whatever, is going to help him do that," realized Dagur.

"We shouldn't have granted his wish!" blurted Fishlegs. MacGuffin echoed the sentiment, though Fishlegs had to translate for him.

"No kidding, but it's too late now," said Hiccup.

"And besides, he would have killed Merida!" exclaimed Astrid. Hiccup pulled the redhead closer to him, and Viggo would use her life as a bargaining chip again. But would he let her live next time?

"Well then, may I suggest we prepare ourselves? No matter what Viggo is planning, we need to be prepared," stated Eret.

"For anything and everything," said Dagur.

"And since Dagur knows Viggo so well, well, at least, the best out of all of us, we're going to have to listen to him for training," mumbled Snotlout.

"Well then, since that's the case, we had better get started. Let's go!" said Dagur, leading the way out. Hiccup and Merida stayed behind, Hiccup having pulled her into a tight hug.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, fighting the tears that threatened to fall from his face. All that caged up stress and anxiety was going to turn into a tsunami and wash over him if he let it.  
"I'm fine, thanks to you," she replied just as softly. He couldn't help it, he let a few tears fall.

"I, I almost lost you," he whispered, his voice cracking with emotion. He felt her shudder as she took a shaky breath.

"And if Viggo does get all eight High Dragons?"

Hiccup's grip tightened with determination. "He won't, we won't let him, we can't let him. The High Dragons were entrusted to us, and for good reason. We'll think of something, I'm sure of it," he stated firmly. She pulled her head back from his shoulder to look at him before she began to grin.

"Then I guess I'd better work on my archery and practice with my dragon. Viggo took me by surprise this time, he won't next time. And he'll come to regret it."

Hiccup laughed. "That's Merida Dunbroch talking, alright. And I expect you to make him pay good and well."

Merida grinned big. "Oh, you can bet on it." Hiccup smiled at her before pulling her in for a kiss.


	28. Under the Umbrella

Merida pulled her jacket around her as tightly as she could. The chilling rain was pouring in sheets, and the brisk wind was throwing droplets into her face. It really didn't help that she was wearing one of her best suits either. Oh why did her mother insist that she go to this meeting? The least she could have done was made sure that Merida got home safe and dry! Merida shivered, and warm too. And now, she felt sure that she was going to catch a cold. But what was it that her father said? She was so hot-headed that no cold could ever catch her! She snorted as she could hear her father's voice in her head saying that. A splash of water from the street nearly doused her, catching only her stockings. She let out a groan as she paused at the corner, waiting for the traffic to lessen enough for her to cross, but stayed back far enough that another car wouldn't almost douse her, again. Seriously, what was her mother thinking? Merida wasn't a on the committee! Nor did she really want to be! She let out a huff as she stomped her feet, trying to keep warm.

"Is that you? Merida?" came a voice from behind her, startling her out of her complaining thoughts. She turned around, and her eyes widened at the sight of the person standing behind her, and with a big umbrella no less.

"Hiccup! What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting with that leg of yours?" she asked, indicating his prosthetic.

"You mean lack of one?"

"You know what I mean," she grumbled, shooting him a glare.

He let out a soft, but sad chuckle. "I do know what you mean, but, I just couldn't stay inside for much longer. I thought I was going to go crazy! And with Jack around, well, he wasn't much help."

Merida let loose a loud guffaw. "When has that wee lamb ever been much help to you?"

Hiccup let out a laugh, "Oh man, you'd better not let Jack hear you say that anymore. He just hates it when you call him a 'wee lamb'. He's not much of a lamb anymore, more like a ram, though he'd rather a wolf." Both burst out laughing.

Merida calmed down enough to say, "Well, too bad, I'm going to keep calling him a wee lamb. If he wants to fight me over it, he should know I'll win for sure."

"So, um, what you doing out here, getting yourself all drenched?" asked Hiccup.

"Ugh, getting home. Mother insisted on me attending another one of her meetings, again," muttered Merida with a groan and a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, um, would you like it if I escorted you home?"

"Well . . ."

"I do have an umbrella," Hiccup said with a nervous smile as he glanced up, indicating the obvious plus.

"Well, when you put it that way, yes please!"

Hiccup chuckled, "Alright, alright, you don't need to get all excited!"

"Well, if you've been trying to get home in the pouring rain while both of your parents are at the town meeting and there's no one to drive you home or pick you up, then you'd be excited too!" quipped Merida as she quickly stepped underneath the safety of the umbrella.

"What about Maudie?"

"She's got her hands full with the boys," remarked Merida as the two stepped to the curb. Hiccup merely let out a chuckle as the two turned their attention to crossing the street. They walked a ways in silence before Merida cleared her throat and spoke. "So, um, how's college going?"

"Well, it's certainly going," Hiccup replied with a grin.

"Hiccup, you know what I mean," Merida said as she shot him another glare.

"Alright, yes, I do know what you mean. Well, what can I say? Classes are fun and interesting. I'm glad that I don't have to do too much so it will let my lack of a leg heal properly. But, it's also given me something to do. Right now, Spring Break is just killing me."

"Well, you're not dead yet. Must not be doing it's job well," quipped Merida. Hiccup glanced at her in surprise before bursting out laughing.

"No, I guess not," he finally managed to say.

"What? Do you want it to?" Merida snapped.

"Dying from boredom is very different than literal dying," pointed out Hiccup.

"Well, I don't ever want you to die, not yet," whispered Merida as she grabbed a hold of his arm and leaned into him. Hiccup tilted his head and laid it on top of Merida's red curls.

"I won't, not as long as you live," he whispered back. She buried her face into his sleeve so as to keep the tears from falling.

"I was scared that I'd lost you in the accident."

"Hey, like you said, if it was supposed to kill me, it wasn't doing it's job very well," muttered Hiccup. Merida couldn't help but snicker at that. Hiccup joined in for a few minutes, though smiles were on both of their faces after they stopped. They walked slower the closer they got to Merida's house, neither one wanting to break the moment. They didn't want to speak for long either, letting the patter of raindrops remind them that they were still very much alive. But the moment they stopped in front of Merida's house, they paused as they thought of something to say, they wanted to stay in each other's presence.

"Um, would you like to come inside and warm up for a bit?" Merida finally asked.

Hiccup shook his head with a sigh. "No, I wish I could, but I need to get back home. Dad doesn't even know I came out, and you know how he gets when he's worried."

"You didn't even let your dad know you came out? Hiccup, why . . ."

"Hey, don't you start sounding like him too. I'm an adult, I can take care of myself."

A slight blush came to Merida's cheek as she stammered, "Oh, no, no, that's not what I meant. I was going to say, why do you need to hurry back then, if you don't like it when he treats you like a kid still?"

"I'd rather not deal with the drama either way."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Mer, I'm sure. Well, I'll see you around." Hiccup waved as he turned to walk away.

"Hiccup wait!" called out Merida. Hiccup turned, and Merida jumped into his arms. In his surprise, he involuntarily let go of the umbrella, and the wind pushed it into the neighbor's garden. "I love you, you silly fish."

"I love you too, my little mermaid," Hiccup replied with a smile. He leaned in for a kiss, and Merida met him halfway quite willingly, and happily. The two let the rain soak them as they lived in that kiss, their first kiss. When they pulled back, they were already practically soaked.

"So much for you not letting your dad know," muttered Merida.

Hiccup chuckled as he replied, "Oh, don't worry, I'll just take a shower."

Merida burst out laughing. "You had this whole thing figured out, huh?"

"Well, except for the part where I walked you home, even though I did wish for it, um, yeah, pretty much," replied Hiccup with a grin. Merida laughed, but quickly paused.

"Wait, you wished to see me?"

"Oh come on, Mer, don't tell me you didn't wish to seem me too?"

A blush rose to Merida's cheeks as she glanced down. "Well, I guess? I wasn't thinking of it, just wishing to get home quickly without getting drenched. I mean, it's not that I don't want to see you, I wish I could see you every day! It's just, at that moment . . ."

Hiccup let out a chuckle, "You were wishing for an umbrella?" He walked over and grabbed his from the neighbor's yard before returning to Merida.

Merida replied with a nervous smile, "Yes?"

"And I just so happen to have one. What do you say to that?" he asked with a wink.

"Like it was the best thing to happen today! I'd get caught in the rain everyday if only you could come with an umbrella."

Hiccup let out a gasp. "What's this? Is Merida Dunbroch trying to be sappy?"

Merida snorted as she swatted at him playfully, "Oh be quiet. But, as you can tell, I'm horrible at it."

"Well, you know, like with a bow and a quiver, if you practised, you'd become better at it," muttered Hiccup as he leaned in with a mischievous grin on his face.

Merida giggled, "Maybe, but there is one thing I know I'm good at."

"And what's that?" asked Hiccup, his eyebrow arched. Merida merely shot him a grin before pulling him in for another kiss, this time the umbrella staying in Hiccup's hand. The sound of rain pit-pattering against the umbrella was all that could be heard as they relished the tender moment.


	29. Finding the True King

Merida glanced around the corner before glancing back at the two men, the dragon, and other woman with her.

"We're clear for now, but we need to make this quick," she whispered.

Hiccup nodded as he glanced at Toothless. "You know what to do, bud?"

Toothless gave a little garble as he nodded.

"Are you sure about this, Hiccup?" asked Taran.

"We have to get you to the sword. There is no way Viggo is the rightful heir to the throne."

"But what makes you think I could be king?" Taran whispered back as they stealthily walked through the mostly quiet city. Merida raised her hand as she neared another corner. The group stopped and waited with baited breath as she glanced around the corner before motioning them to follow.

"Well, for one thing, you were the only person of eligible age who hasn't tried pulling the sword out of the stone," began Hiccup.

"Fair point," mumbled Taran.

"And for another," said Eilonwy, "Dallben was pretty insistent on you trying to pull the sword."

"But he always got that funny look on his face whenever we asked him why," muttered Merida as she led them to another corner She quickly checked her surroundings before motioning them forward. "I'm beginning to think he knows Taran is the rightful heir, but swore not to say anything."

"At least not until Taran has proved that he is the rightful heir," said Hiccup. "I think Dallben hasn't wanted to say a word because he's afraid Viggo would send his army after Taran and kill him before he's able to rally his allies."

"I don't even know who my allies are," blurted Taran. He glanced at Merida, Hiccup, and Toothless as they came to another corner. "Except for you, of course."

"Prince Gwydion also pledges his allegiance," said a gruff voice from behind them. The group turned and yelped. Merida and Eilonwy strung their bows, Toothless took a defensive position in the front, while Hiccup unsheathed his sword. Taran just stared in shock at the figure before a smile of relief spread across his face as another figure entered the pale moonlight.

"Coll!"

"Keep it down, Taran. Yes, I am here. Dallben sent me with Prince Gwydion to let you know he can be trusted. He is a dear friend of ours."

"And I will only ever serve the rightful king of Prydain," said Gwydion with a bow. "Dallben and Coll have suspected it was you for some time now."

"But, Dallben wasn't sure?" Hiccup asked hesitantly. They had begun to relax and lowered their weapons just a bit, there was still the matter of Viggo's men roaming the city looking for them, primarily for Toothless and Taran.

Coll shook his head. "Not quite. He had a strong suspicion and many clues to point to that, but Dallben doesn't like jumping to conclusions without all the evidence. Pulling the sword would prove once and for all that you are the true king of Prydain."

"B-but, I don't know how to be king."

Coll chuckled softly. "You have a prince, two princesses, and a chief here who can teach you, if there's anything wanting."

Merida let out a little giggle. "And I'm sure my mother would be more than happy to teach you the fineries of court life."

Eilonwy rolled her eyes. "Oh please, count me out of that one."

"Oh don't worry, I think you and I have learned everything. It's the guys' turn now," said Merida with a grin.

Taran shot a glance at Hiccup. "That doesn't sound good."

"Yes, but, in order to do that, we must get you to the sword. Come on," whispered Coll as he and Gwydion took the lead. The group continued to weave around the buildings to get closer to the churchyard, where the sword of the king was imbedded in a stone. They barely saw any of Viggo's men until they got closer to the churchyard. Even then there were only three men visible.

"Something's not right," muttered Hiccup. "Viggo wouldn't leave this small of a guard by the sword."

Merida glanced at him. "Trap?"

"Most likely."

"Now what?" whispered Eilonwy as the group huddled.

Merida cocked her head and gave a soft grin. "Spring the trap?" She glanced at Coll and Gwydion. "They probably don't know you're here."

Hiccup nodded thoughtfully. "Right, Viggo probably figured that we would come for the sword, but he, I hope, doesn't know about you being here."

"But if he has figured out that we're here?" asked Gwydion as he raised his eyebrow.

Hiccup bit his lip before replying with, "Then we're done for. Unless . . ." They watched Hiccup intently as he thought really hard on the problem. Hiccup knew Viggo was smart, very smart. He had figured out Hiccup's plan long before it could come to fruition and had changed his own plan to counter and win. It unnerved Hiccup every time. "We should proceed as if Coll and Gwydion aren't here."

"Wait, what?" whispered Taran harshly.

"We have to, it's our only chance. If Viggo can figure out my plans before the plan's complete, then he'll know we have back-up and will send his men after them."

"But, though we know that we have back-up," said Merida, "we just won't know what they're going to do."

Hiccup let out a sigh. "Doesn't matter. Viggo will still outsmart us, and outnumber us."

"Then if there's a chance any of us can take, we should take it. We have to keep him guessing," said Merida. Toothless nodded in agreement.

Hiccup pursed his lips before replying with, "I don't know, he's much better organized than we are, much better at planning." He let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his auburn locks. "Viggo is just . . . better at this."

"Well, he's certainly not better at being king," mumbled Eilonwy.

"If only he didn't put that genius mind of his to evil, I could really use someone like him as an advisor," remarked Taran.

"Speaking of advice," said Gwydion, "if you don't mind, I have a bit." Everyone went silent as they glanced at Gwydion expectantly. "Perhaps we should focus less on Viggo's brilliant mind and come up with an even more brilliant plan."

Hiccup nodded, though his face was still grim. He couldn't help but worry about Viggo getting the best of them. "Yes, you're right."

"Except I can't think of anything besides us going in there, springing the trap, and you guys coming around to bust us out," whispered Merida.

"That sounds like the best one so far," muttered Eilonwy.

Hiccup sighed. "That's the only one so far. I can't think of anything. Anyone else have any brilliant ideas?"

"Sorry, my mind's a blank," remarked Taran. Gwydion and Coll shook their heads. They had nothing too.

"What is going on?" asked Merida. "You two are the ones who usually have the ideas," she told Hiccup and Taran.

Taran shrugged. "I have no clue."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Unless . . . unless Viggo has some spell."

Taran's eyes widened in turn. "The Black Cauldron!" he blurted.

Eilonwy gasped. "That's right. He has it!"

Gwydion gritted his teeth. "This will be harder than I thought. But now I know."

"Know what?" asked Taran.

"Why the Horned King is moving, and where he is going."

"Wh-what?" the young adults asked, nearly choking on the word.

Coll nodded sadly. "Which means time is of the essence. Taran, we must get you crowned as soon as possible."

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" asked Hiccup, furious at being withheld some pretty important information. He was also rather upset that Viggo clearly had the upper hand, again.

"We did not know the Black Cauldron was here," stated Gwydion matter-of-factly."But now that we do, or, at least, I do, we must act quickly. The five of you must get out there now. Take down as many guards as you can, give Taran a clear path to the sword."

"But what about you?" asked Eilonwy.

"We will try to some up with a better plan. Hopefully there will be enough time to do so."

"I wouldn't count on it though," muttered Hiccup.

Coll patted his shoulder reassuringly. "We will make do with what we get. Just concentrate on getting Taran to that sword."

Hiccup grumbled. "Fine. Come on. Taran, Toothless, stay close."

Taran eyed him. "I can fight, you know."

Coll shook his head. "We know you can, Taran, but we can't risk you getting killed."

"But you can risk their lives?"

"Listen . . ."

"No, you listen, they're my friends. I'm going to have their backs."

Hiccup settled it. "Fine, but you have to be extremely careful, understand? You do need to get that sword."

"I know."

"Alright, let's do this . . . barely-thought out plan."

Merida shrugged. "Maybe it's what will take Viggo off guard."

Hiccup sighed. "I hope."

The group made their way quietly towards the guard, Coll and Gwydion watching them from the shadows. Merida and Eilonwy drew their bows, each aiming at a guard. Hiccup tapped Toothless and indicated that he was to aim for the third guard. Toothless nodded and set his sights on the third guard.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup," came a voice to their right.

The group's heads swiveled, there stood Viggo and several more men. Hiccup counted them and his spirits sank. It was practically an army. What could Coll and Gwydion come up with to defeat them?

"Viggo," muttered Hiccup.

"Rather out of character for you to try and kill anyone," remarked Viggo nonchalantly as he pulled out a dagger from his belt and fiddled a bit with it.

"Rather out of character for you to be wrong about what I was thinking," remarked Hiccup cooly, relaxing quite a bit. Maybe things could work out. He hadn't wanted Toothless to kill the guy, and he knew both Merida and Eilonwy were aiming for arms.

"Really?" asked Viggo, his eyebrow arching. "But I was right that you would try to get that scrawny little brat to lay claim to a sword that is so imbedded in that stupid stone that no one can get it out."

"Just no one you would like to be king of Prydain," remarked Hiccup. "Like you, for instance. Why do you want to be king of Prydain?"

Viggo burst out laughing. "Has that question been burning you up this whole time?"

"No, seriously, why do you want to be king?" Hiccup asked again. "I didn't think you were the type who wanted this."

"Oh, that's rich coming from the boy who didn't want to take his rightful place before his father died," quipped Viggo. He grinned when Hiccup grimaced, he hit a very sensitive spot.

But Hiccup quickly composed himself. Now wasn't the time to think about his father, that could wait. Right now, Taran was of greater importance. A sudden thought sprang into his head, maybe he can stall Viggo long enough for Taran to sneak to the sword! Create a distraction, something! He knew, continue with the line of questioning, another idea would come in time. Or Viggo could provide an opening. Either way, Hiccup needed to be ready. And he hoped Taran could see the opportunity, and take it.

"You still haven't answered my question, Viggo. Why do you want to be king? Or are you just stalling to come up with a valid reason?"

Viggo's eyes flashed. Hiccup had to control the urge to smirk, he was getting somewhere.

"I don't have to answer to you, Hiccup, but since we're both pursuers of knowledge . . ."

Merida scoffed. "That's debatable," she muttered under her breath. Both Hiccup and Viggo shot her looks, Viggo was becoming more infuriated, but Hiccup signaled to her to let him handle this. She turned up her nose at Viggo, but she nodded at Hiccup.

"Sorry about that Viggo. As you were saying, we're both pursuers of knowledge . . ."

Hiccup noticed Viggo let out a breath to calm himself down. What was it about Merida that could get on the Viking's nerves so easily? Was it because she was Scottish? Was it because she could easily defeat Viggo . . . in a fair fight? Was it because she had such a queenly presence that it dwarved Viggo's own presence? It could in fact be all of the above, but whatever the reason, Hiccup tucked that information away for later use. If he needed to, he'd ask Merida to rile up Viggo. It might be what they end up needing.

"Anyway, as I was saying, Prydain has a doorway to the realm of magic."

That's when it clicked in Hiccup's mind what Viggo was really after and his eyes widened. "And the dragons."

Viggo flashed a malicious grin. "You got it, Hiccup."

"Merida was right, that was debatable . . ."

"Wait, what?" asked Viggo. The grin was still on his face, but his eyebrow arched.

Hiccup glared at him. "You're not pursuing knowledge like I am. You're just too focused on capturing, enslaving, and controlling your own dragons."

"Just like Drago?"

"Just like . . . wait, how do you know Drago?"

Viggo's grin got larger. "Because we're working together, my dear fellow. Since you, a chief's son, now a chief, has defeated us with your army of dragons, it really only made sense that one of us became king and started our own army."

Hiccup's eyes widened. "You're not the one trying to become king, Drago is!"

"That's right, I'm just his loyal general and head dragon catcher, since you stole his best one."

"Eret joined our side because he realized how wrong Drago is," blurted Hiccup, defending his friend. Not only that, Eret now had Stoick's dragon, he had double reason to protect his good name.

"Or was it the pretty face of one named Astrid?" taunted Viggo.

Hiccup gulped, that still hurt, but the instant Merida placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, he calmed down. Yes, he and Astrid had broken up, and it hurt, but it was for the best. Now he had Merida, and he was just as worried about her and he had about Astrid. Which was very little since both women were very capable fighters. Merida was just feistier. And a bit of a surprise at times. No, concentrate Hiccup, need to stall Viggo long enough. If only he could tell Taran to get the sword or give him a hint!

"It, it may have helped," muttered Hiccup. "But he really did come to realize that Drago is wrong. But it's no use telling you that. You're practically cut from the same cloth as Drago."

"I'll take that as a compliment," stated Viggo with a mock bow.

"Keep it, it's the most you'll get from me," quipped Hiccup. "Or any one of us."

Merida gave a quick nod, followed by Toothless. But those two were the only two in his line of vision, both Eilonwy and Taran were behind them. They probably also agreed, but he didn't want to draw any more attention to them than he had to. Viggo and his men hadn't advanced, and Taran and Eilonwy together could take out the three guards fairly easily. Taran could sneak past them if their attention was so focused on the argument between Hiccup and Drago. At least Hiccup was buying time for Coll and Gwydion to do something.

"Whatever, I don't need compliments from you."

"Sure about that?" said Hiccup, becoming amused. "But you like compliments."

Viggo opened his mouth to reply, but closed it and looked hard at Hiccup. "You're stalling for time, aren't you."

"To keep from meeting Drago again, yes," Hiccup quickly replied. He couldn't panic, not now, Taran needed him the most now.

Viggo's eyes scanned Hiccup's face. "That might be part of it, but I don't think that's it." He glanced around, and gave out a yelp. "Stop him!" Everyone glanced to where he was pointing, Taran's hands were on the sword. Hiccup cheered internally, Taran took the opportunity!

"Pull it!" screamed Eilonwy. "Quick!"

Taran's fingers tightened around the hilt, and with one quick pull, the sword came out of the stone.

"Yes!" whooped Hiccup. He glanced at Viggo, and saw the archers. "Taran, get down! Merida! Toothless! Eilonwy!"

Merida and Toothless quickly turned their attention to the archers and began firing. Toothless's fireballs scorched half a dozen bows, the men were running away. Merida and Eilonwy stopped three arms each. Taran took the opportunity to get down from the stone and began battling the three guards.

"Charge!" shouted Viggo.

Hiccup ignited his sword and met the onslaught with Toothless at his side. Merida let loose some more arrows before switching to her sword and fighting off several more men. She blocked an attack on Hiccup and Toothless. Toothless returned the favor quickly. Eilonwy kept up with the support from her arrows.

Viggo made his way towards Hiccup, and the two got locked in battle.

"You would have been great at our sides, Hiccup!" said Viggo. "Too bad you had to join their side."

"I joined their side because it's the right thing to do!" replied Hiccup as blocked Viggo's sword.

"And you care far too deeply for them," muttered Viggo menacingly as he jabbed at Hiccup. Hiccup gulped as he blocked the blow, he knew where this was going. There were just too many. "How weak," continued Viggo. "You could have been stronger."

"That's what allies and friends are for!" came a shout. The battle paused as everyone tried to figure out where the person was as several dragons swooped in and their riders plunged into battle.

"Shouldn't have left without us, Hiccup!" shouted Eret.

Hiccup's mouth dropped. "But, how . . ."

"Long live King Taran!" Coll and Gwydion came around the corner with a squad of men.

"Fflewddur?" exclaimed Taran as the bard came around the corner, followed by King Fergus.

The bard shrugged. "Hey, if your friend Hiccup can accept the kingship he's been dreading, so can I." He nodded at Hiccup before shooting a quick glance at the harp he was carrying.

Hiccup grinned. "Let's do this!" With the extra forces, they were able to subdue Viggo's men, but Viggo had long since vanished. Hiccup figured it had been at the arrival of the dragon riders, for he hadn't seen him since.

A couple of weeks later, the group had scoured the kingdom of Prydain, ridding the country of Viggo's men. But neither Viggo, nor Drago could be found, and Hiccup began to wonder if Viggo was telling the truth about Drago. But all thought of that was pushed aside as the coronation of Taran as rightful king of Prydain was just around the corner. With Merida and Hiccup speaking for their respective country and island, Berk and Scotland became formal allies with Prydain, along with Fflewddur's country, which had been renamed Fflam in his absence, and the Sons od Don. Their first project was to elect a guard for the portal to the magical realm, and it was decided that it would comprise of Scots, Prydish, Berkians, Fflams, and dragons, and their base of operations would be at Dallben's farm.

After everything had finally calmed down, Merida, Hiccup, Taran, and Eilonwy met in Taran's palace garden.

"I can't ever thank you enough for all that you've done for me, and all of Prydain."

"You'd do the same for us, right?" asked Merida with an arched eyebrow.

Taran chuckled. "Without a doubt. I am glad we are friends."

"And we are too," remarked Dallben as he, Coll, and Prince Gwydion walked into the garden.

"Well, I'm glad you approve," quipped Taran with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Dallben chuckled.

Hiccup glanced at Coll and Gwydion. "You know, I keep meaning to ask, but everything that's been going on, I haven't had a chance. How did you two gather everyone?"

Coll and Gwydion glanced at each other before turning back to Hiccup with a grin. Gwydion replied, "The Sons of Don were already on their way, as for the others . . ."

Coll chuckled. "You can thank Eret and Fflewddur for them."

"Fflewddur?" the four exclaimed.

Fflewddur's head popped around the corner. "Yes? Did you call?"

"You gathered everyone to help us?" asked Taran.

Fflewddur grinned sheepishly. "Yes, I did. You four are my friends, I didn't want anything bad to happen to any of you."

"Aw, Fflewddur, that's so sweet of you," said Eilonwy as she gave him a big hug.

Taran nodded. "I understand the feeling."

"Good. If you'll excuse us, your majesties, we shall be on our way," said Dallben with a bow. They waved to the four as they continued on their walk through the garden.

Taran glanced at Merida and Hiccup as Eilonwy rejoined him. "I know your people need you back home, but, we were wondering if you could stay till the end of the week?"

"Mmm, I think they can manage without us for a few more days," replied Merida as she tucked her arm around Hiccup's. "What do you think?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I guess so. Why?"

Taran glanced at Eilonwy with a smile as they clasped hands. "We're going to announce our engagement."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" exclaimed Merida as she hugged them.

"Congratulations," said Hiccup as he shook Taran's hand.

"Thank you. We'd like to go over some wedding details with you as well, we'd like you to be there as witnesses."

Hiccup chuckled. "If you don't mind half of Scotland and all of Berk coming with us."

"Oh, um, there might be room?"

Eilonwy chuckled. "I'm sure we can manage, don't worry." She kissed Taran's cheek before turning to Merida. "And I could really use your mother's opinion on a few things."

Merida scoffed. "You can keep her."

"Merida!" blurted Hiccup as he nudged her.

Merida snickered. "I'm kidding, you silly fish, don't worry. We need my mom back in Scotland, you know." She turned to Eilonwy. "Let me talk it over with my parents first, but I'm sure it'll be a yes."

"Wonderful! Now all we need to do is plan your wedding!" blurted Eilonwy.

Merida and Hiccup looked at her in shock before glancing at each other with blushes.

"Eilonwy! Give them some time! My goodness," blurted Taran.

Merida chuckled. "Don't worry, you'll be the first to know when it happens."

"We'd better," said Eilonwy as she placed her hands on her hips, " or I'll plan it for you."

Taran groaned before glancing at Hiccup. Hiccup shrugged. "Hey, we like strong women, we shouldn't exactly be surprised."

Taran rolled his eyes, but he agreed. "True."

The four continued their walk in the garden, Eilonwy and Taran holding hands and Merida and Hiccup holding hands, while conversation continued on the topic of marriage. It was a greatly appreciated moment of peace after such a storm, but they knew deep down that the next one wasn't far off.


	30. Dragon Con

Hiccup watched the redhead help Callum put up his booth. She had pulled her unruly curls back into a ponytail and her aqua blouse really made her blue eyes pop. Hiccup couldn't help but stare at her, she was just so pretty. He was interrupted by Callum's step-brother Ezran and Merida's three brothers as they played a bit loudly with Ezran's pet frog and the triplets' pet lizards close by.

"No, no, no," said Merida as she straightened out one of Callum's pictures, bringing Hiccup's attention back to her. "You should have this one front and center, it's your most famous piece!"

"Yeah, but," began Callum as Merida brought out a giant poster of a scene from the anime _Dragon Drive_. Reiji and Chibi are front and center, with Chibi's true form towering behind them. Hiccup could see why it had become a hit, it was such a good drawing. Merida then pulled out Callum's other big hit, a picture of the two meech dragons from _Dragon Keeper Chronicles_. That one was Hiccup's personal favorite, though the _Dragon Drive_ one was a close second, as not much art had been produced of the series and Hiccup had often longed to see someone else's interpretation of the two human-like meeches.

"You should listen to Merida," quipped Ezran, "she's usually right." The triplets glanced up from their lizards and nodded in unison. Hiccup smirked as he leaned against a pillar, still watching the whole thing. Ezran was right, Merida was usually right.

"Thank you Ezran," said Merida.

"You're welcome," he replied before returning to playing with the triplets.

Merida glanced at Callum.

Callum threw his hands up. "Alright, alright, you win, we'll put that front and center."

"Thank you," said Merida as she quickly put the _Dragon Drive_ piece front and center. The _Dragon Keeper Chronicles_ piece went right next to it. Callum patted it lovingly. Hiccup smiled, that was also Callum's favorite piece, the _Dragon Keeper Chronicles_ was his favorite series.

"So . . . are you actually going to help, or are you going to stare at the fair Merida until you start drooling?"

Hiccup yelped and turned around to see Merida's personal bodyguard and best friend, Rayla, looking at him with a slight tease of a smile on her face. "W-well, um," stammered HIccup as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Y-you know how Merida gets about these things. It's best to stay out of her way." He chuckled nervously.

"It's also nice to have some help too, you know," came Merida's voice. Hiccup turned to glance at her. She had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. Callum waved at Hiccup from behind her. Hiccup grinned sheepishly as he waved back.

"So, are you going to help?" asked Rayla.

"Uh . . ."

"Hiccup!"

Hiccup let out a soft breath as he turned towards the newcomers. "Hey Zak, Cece! You made it!"

Zak Storm came forward and shook Hiccup's hand. "Well yeah, wouldn't want to miss this!"

"Nice costume, Cece!" said Merida.

"Thanks!' replied Cece as she twirled her trident.

"Who are you supposed to be?" asked Rayla.

"I'm Mera. Zak was supposed to be Aquaman, so imagine my surprise when he shows up as Jack Sparrow," stated Cece as she shot Zak a glare.

"This isn't Jack Sparrow, just a regular pirate costume. And I swear, my Aquaman suit got warped by my dad! Ugh, I'll show you when we get back to my place."

"That trident is cool though," remarked Rayla.

Cece grinned. "Thanks."

Zak let out a breath as he turned to Hiccup. "So, man, excited about your first booth at Dragon Con?" He paused as he glanced at the booth. "Whoa man, I didn't think you would take them literally! This is Dragon Con, but, other fantasy creatures are welcome!"

Callum placed his hands on his hips. "Yeah, well, I like drawing dragons, so deal with it."

"I already do," quipped Zak as he pointed at Hiccup. "Why haven't you two started the Dragon Drawing Club?"

"Because it would be just the two of us?" said Callum slowly.

"Basically," said Hiccup with a shrug.

"Hey, wait, where's your art, Hiccup?" asked Cece as she glanced closer at the table.

"I, uh . . ."

"We were just trying to get him to put it out," remarked Rayla, "when you two showed up. I think he wants Merida to set it up because he likes how she does things, not just because he has a super huge crush on her." Hiccup blushed and let out a little squeak as Rayla shot him a knowing glance. Ezran and the triplets began to giggle.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We've got like what, ten minutes before Dragon Con officially starts?" said Zak as he glanced at his watch.

"What, really?" blurted Hiccup as he pulled Zak's arm towards him so he could see the watch. "Holy smokes, you're right!"

"Uh, yeah, I know," muttered Zak as he pulled his arm out of Hiccup's hand. Hiccup rushed to his portfolio and began taking out art. Ten minutes later, as the crowd began rolling in, the teens were sitting almost breathless behind the booth.

"We made it," muttered Callum between gasps.

"Just barely," said Rayla. "We would have been done earlier if we didn't have loverboy here fawning over his crush."

Hiccup chuckled nervously.

"So, Hiccup, when are you going to ask her out?" Ezran asked.

"Uh, ah, um, I-I d-don't know," stammed Hiccup. "I don't even know if she'll say yes!"

"I'm right here, you know," said Merida, glaring at him from her chair right next to him.

Hiccup grinned sheepishly before letting out a sigh. "I know, I know, but you're so awesome, and I'm so lame. I can't even ask you out properly!"

One of Merida's brothers chuckled. "Should we tell him, Merida?"

"Hamish!" hissed Merida.

"How can you tell which one is which?" asked Callum.

"Tell me what?' asked Hiccup at the same time, but everyone was taken off guard when Merida pulled him in for a kiss. Cece and Rayla recovered first from their surprise and whooped as Merida pulled back from the kiss, blushing. Callum and Zak continued to stare in shock while the younger children burst out laughing.

"Merida's face is as red as her hair!" blurted Hubert as he rolled on the floor.

"So's Hiccup's face!" blurted Hamish between chuckles.

Rayla turned towards the four. "Alright, you four, enough."

"Y-you, you like me back?" Hiccup finally muttered.

Rayla spoke up as Merida's head sank a little lower. "She's been crushing on you for months." She then stood up, pulled Merida to her feet, followed by pulling up Hiccup.

"Uh, uh, Rayla, what are you doing?" asked Merida as Rayla pushed them to the other side of the booth.

"What does it look like? You two go enjoy Dragon Con with Zak and Cece. Callum and I can hold down the fort."

"What?" blurted Callum. "We've got the DunBroch triplets, how can we hold down anything?"

"Ezran and I can handle them," remarked Rayla before shooting them a glance. She glanced at Callum. "You can handle the booth."

"I guess that's better than having to deal with the mischievous trio," said Callum with a sigh.

"Great! We're all set. You four go enjoy the Dragon Con," said Rayla as she pushed the two couples away from the booth.

"Uh, uh, but . . ." began Hiccup.

"You're sure you've got this?" asked Merida.

"Sure, if anything goes wrong, Callum and I have your number. We'll text you if something happens, and we'll call if they do something like, say, start burning the building down."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel better,' quipped Callum, shooting an uneasy look at the triplets. The three merely grinned at him. He chuckled nervously before glancing helplessly at Merida and Hiccup. Hiccup could only shrug before Rayla began pushing them away.

"We've got this. Go enjoy yourselves!"

Hiccup began to protest when Merida wrapped her arm around his. He glanced at her, and the two smiled warmly with slight blushes on their cheeks.

He glanced back at Rayla and mouthed the word 'thanks' before saying out loud," Good luck! Don't lose your head Callum!"

"Ha! It's more likely than you think," retorted Callum.

"Don't worry, Ezran and I will save it," replied Rayla. Callum groaned and dropped his head on the booth.

"It's going to be a long day," he mumbled.

Merida snickered. "Let's go," she said as she pulled on Hiccup's arm. They followed Zak and Cece further into the crowd gathering for Dragon Con. But all Hiccup could think about was that Merida liked him back, and maybe, just maybe, they could go out on a real date soon.


	31. Light and Night

Merida slowly peeked around the tree. There, lying on the ground and moaning in pain was a white dragon. Merida was ready to draw her bow, just in case, though her hand rested upon the satchel that carried supplies. A wounded animal wasn't going to take too kindly to aid for fear of it being an attack. Merida nervously readjusted her bow, gave a look to Angus before letting out a breath and advanced slowly towards the dragon. The dragon paused in its moaning when Merida stepped on a stick. It scanned the area before its eyes narrowed as they rested on Merida. It let out a warning growl as Merida took another step closer.

Merida held out her hands. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." She slowly opened the satchel and pulled out some medical supplies. "I want to help you."

The dragon stopped growling, but watched her approach suspiciously. Merida didn't pay attention to it, though she knew the dragon still didn't trust her yet. Once Merida reached the dragon, she picked up the foot that looked to be hurting and clicked her tongue.

"Wowee, boy, that splinter is pretty big!" blurted Merida. The dragon let out a huff. "I know, I know, this is going to hurt a bit . . . well, quite a bit." The dragon let out a huff as if to say 'no kidding'. "Now stay still," remarked Merida as she gently lifted the dragon's leg to get a better look at the splinter. She let out a breath before working quickly to make the dragon as comfortable as possible before turning her attention to the splinter. She quickly pulled out the splinter, the dragon only letting out a growl in pain. Merida quickly bandaged it.

"There, all done," she told the dragon as she rose and patted its shoulder. "Now, you just rest a while. I'll help you find a hiding spot and I'll fish for ya."

The dragon seemed to purr and nudged Merida.

"You're welcome," she whispered. "Now, let's go find an appropriate place to hide ya. Won't be easy since you're all white." The dragon huffed but it rose to follow her, only to come crashing down again with a howl of pain. Merida rushed to its side to find out what else was wrong. "Oh, you poor lamb, you twisted your ankle too?" The dragon merely whimpered in pain as Merida very gently rotated the leg. "Yes, you did. Angus!" The huge horse galloped over, though hesitant to approach an obvious predator. "I'm going to need your help." The horse seemed to eye her like she was crazy. Instead, Merida turned to the dragon. "And I'm going to need ya to never eat my horse. I'll fish for ya, but no horse!" The dragon nodded as if in agreement. It still took a little while for Angus to get close enough to the dragon so that Merida could lay the wounded leg across his back, but finally, they went looking for a place large enough and camouflaged enough to hide a white dragon. Merida found a place near the ring of stones, a perfect place, she thought, as it would be easy for her to find later.

Once she got the dragon all situated, she went out fishing and brought back a basket full of fish.

"Now, I don't know if this is enough for ya," she told the dragon as she dumped the fish on the floor, "but it should do for now." The dragon nodded, though Merida wasn't sure if the dragon meant that it would do for now, or that it was enough to fill its stomach. "Wait, can you understand me?" The dragon nodded again. "How is that possible?" The dragon looked at her oddly. "Oh, um, never mind. Well, I've got to get back home. I'll bring you some more supplies tomorrow and I'll see about fixing this up a bit better. Thankfully, it's going to start snowing soon. That should be able to hide you better." Merida paused. "Which also means I'm going to have to store food for ya to last the winter." She let out a breath. "This is going to take a while."

When Merida finally left, the dragon was mostly fed and sound asleep. There was also the beginnings of a stock of food piled away in a sectioned off part of the hideout. Merida made the dragon promise not to eat any of it until winter had come, and in turn promised to return the next day to get more food.

The next day, when Merida returned as she had promised, she found that the dragon had not eaten the stored food, as it had promised.

"Well, good, ya can keep promises." Merida nodded with approval. "I'll go and get ya some more fish to eat, and some to store." The dragon nodded before curling up and closing its eyes. Merida turned to walk out of the hiding place, but paused and turned back around to the dragon. "Ya know what," she began. The dragon raised its head in anticipation. "I should come up with a name for ya." The dragon tilted its head. "Are ya a boy?" The dragon shook its head. "A girl then, huh? Wonderful! Now I'll just have to think of something." She paused for a bit before shrugging. "I'll think of something while I'm out. See you soon!"

Merida thought long and hard as she caught fish after fish with her arrows. What girl name would be good for a white dragon? Merida's own name meant pearl, but she wasn't going to give the dragon her own name, that would be silly. She began to think about names that meant light, white, snow, or fire, but none of them seemed to fit. Then she turned to the names of the goddesses, but the only ones that really seemed to fit were Morrigan and Brigit, but of the two, Morrigan seemed more for a black dragon than a white due to the ravens that often accompanied her. Heck, it was known that on occasion, Morrigan would turn into a raven herself. Merida gave a curt nod as she gathered the fish. Brigit it would be. She was a rather powerful goddess, a perfect name for a powerful dragon.

"Hey, how about Brigit?" blurted Merida upon entering the hideout. The dragon's head popped up upon her noisy entrance. She relaxed a bit and tilted her head curiously. Merida quickly explained about the goddess Brigit to the dragon. The Dragon seemed to ponder for a few moments while Merida began preparing fish for storage before nodding slowly. "You like it?" The dragon nodded more confidently this time. Merida threw her arms around its neck. "Wonderful! Now you have a name! Brigit. It suits you. Well Brigit, let me see that leg." The dragon rolled over ever so slightly, and Merida checked over the leg, rebandaging it once she was done.

"Well, looks like you're going to have to be off that leg for a while," came Merida's diagnosis with a sigh. "At least it's not shattered. Looks like you're going to be here a while." Brigit purred and nuzzled her. "You like being here? Well, I like you being here too, Brigit. But there's still a lot to be done to get you ready for winter. I'll go get you some more fish for dinner and call it a day, alright?" Brigit nodded and smiled widely.

It became routine; Merida would go hunting for fish in the morning and the afternoon. She'd give some to Brigit to eat and the rest was prepared for storage. While Merida prepared the fish, she told Brigit everything and tried her best to understand the dragon. They quickly became fast friends.

Days soon faded into weeks, then months, and falling leaves gave way to falling snow. When Merida wasn't stuck at home worried sick about Brigit's safety in a snow storm, she was riding out to check up on her. But Merida needn't have worried, she had insulated the hideout so well that Brigit was as snug as a bug in a rug. From then on, Merida only came to check up on the food supply. Brigit made sure it lasted as she hibernated for most of the winter.

When spring finally came around, Brigit was tired of the hideout and would follow Merida to the fishing hole. Merida would just feed her the fish right there and prepared the rest. With Brigit's help, she lugged the extra fish and that evening's dinner back to the hideout. They kept to the same routine during the summer and autumn, but when winter rolled around again, Brigit had more stored up, though she still mostly hibernated.

Finally, when spring came back around, Brigit found that her leg had fully healed. In gratitude, she gave Merida a ride on her back, but seemed to made it fairly clear she had to leave. They made tearful goodbyes and Brigit promised to return before she flew off north.

Merida spent a few days moping, and having told no one that she had taken care of a dragon, she merely explained, when asked what was wrong, that she had befriended an animal, and the animal had left. No one pressed her for more information as they all assumed it had been a bear, and Merida made no comment to correct them.

One day, in late summer, Merida was out riding, enjoying some much needed fresh air after being cooped up in the castle with the clan meetings when she passed by the hideout. It didn't look any different than when she left it, but it felt like she and Brigit had parted ways so long ago. She ducked into the hideout to reminisce on those days when she heard the faint beating of wings. As they grew louder, her eyes grew wider before dashing out of the hideout.

"Brigit!" A roar answered her as a white body knocked her to the ground and began licking her. Merida let out a squeal of laughter. "Brigit! Enough!" As soon as Brigit paused, Merida quickly jumped to her feet and gave the dragon, wel, a bear hug. "Oh, brigit, it's so good to see you!" Brigit cooed something before another roar reached Merida's ears. "Ooh, did you bring your boyfriend?" teased Merida. Brigit snorted, causing Merida to laugh along with her.

Merida paused as the second dragon, a black version of Brigit, landed behind Brigit. The black dragon had not come alone, a figure rode on his back. She realized with a start what kind of clothes the figure was wearing.

"You're a Viking?" she whispered, casting Brigit a worried look. But Brigit seemed completely relaxed, so Merida made no move to reach for her bow. Still, she couldn't be too careful. She watched as the figure dismounted the black dragon and pulled off the helmet. Merida's mouth just about dropped in surprise. Standing before her was one handsome fellow, lean and tall, with an intelligent look in his green eyes. There was a tiny braid in his auburn hair, but otherwise, it was allowed to hang loose around his face. It looked really good on him. Merida quickly snapped herself out of subconsciously checking him out. The clans would no doubt throw a fit if she ever let out she thought a Viking better looking than her options for suitors. She looked at his face, and noticed he averted his eyes. Had he been checking her out too?

"Who, who are you?" Merida paused and let out a sigh. "Who am I kidding, you probably can't even understand me!"

"Um, hi, I'm Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Chief of Berk," said the Viking as he held out his hand.

Merida stared at him in shock. "Wait, you can understand me?"

"Um, yes, uh, I think we need to talk."

"I think we definitely should, and I think you'd better tell my parents too. Come on."

"Wait, what? Why your parents?"

"Oh, right, I'm sorry, I forgot. Let me introduce myself, I'm Merida Dunbroch, princess of Scotland. Now do you understand why you need to talk to my parents?"

"Thoroughly. Lead the way, your highness."

Merida did lead the way, but not just to the castle, she also led the way to an alliance with Berk. But it was the dragons, the Nighfury and the Lightfury, that led the way to their hearts.


End file.
